


Patch and the Halloween Tree

by PerkyGoth14



Category: The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury, Tom and Jerry (MGM/Hanna-Barbera)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-16 06:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16080203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerkyGoth14/pseuds/PerkyGoth14
Summary: It's time for Halloween, and Cathleen wants to spend it with Cherry and Atticus this year and have adventures with them since she never got to before. Not only that, but Robyn has also made five new friends named Tom, Ralph, Wally, Pip, and Jenny and they are going to have the best Halloween ever altogether, but something strange happens that seems to change their plans.





	1. Chapter 1

Patch had come over to the Starling household to visit Tom, Jerry, and Robyn as it was almost a very special holiday that many enjoyed in the season of Fall. Robyn was practicing some magic to give herself a Halloween costume and first tried out a Princess Peach costume which Tom seemed to laugh at.

"Hmm... You're right, totally not me." Robyn said before using her magic again to change into a costume that of Charmcaster.

"Hm..." Jerry shrugged to that one.

"I think Cherry said she was gonna wear that this year." Patch told the girl.

Robyn shrugged and then tried a Supergirl costume.

"Isn't Annabelle going as that?" Jerry asked Patch.

"Oh, yeah." Patch said as he now remembered.

"Ugh! I give up!" Robyn complained before collapsing onto her bed with Tom, Jerry, and Patch. "It's gonna be time for next Halloween when Uncle Chip can come over once we find something we can all agree on."

"Why not Wonder Girl? No one's going as her." Patch suggested.

"Yeah." Tom and Jerry agreed.

"Wonder Girl?" Robyn asked. "Is that like Wonder Woman's sidekick?"

"I rest my case." Patch said. 

Robyn shrugged as that was a good point and she used her wizard magic to a red tank top with the golden Wonder crest with a belt, a gold crown, a blue skirt with white stars on it, and red boots with white stripes.

"Wow," Patch smiled. "You look amazing."

"I think we have a winner!" Tom added.

"Wow, thanks, guys." Robyn smiled back to them.

"This feels like it's gonna be a great Halloween already." Jerry smiled.

"Thanks, guys, I can't wait to meet up with the others." Robyn smiled back.

"Others? You made some new friends?" Patch smiled, happy to hear this.

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Robyn replied. "Yeah, I have actually."

"Oh, Robyn, that's great!" Patch smiled. "I'm glad to see you going out there and making some new friends."

"Yeah, she made five friends." Jerry smiled back.

"Five friends?! Whoa, look at you, Ms. Popular." Patch smirked playfully at Robyn.

Robyn smiled bashfully, rubbing her arm.

"Who are these kids then?" Patch asked.

"Well, there's boy who's also named Tom, and there's the other boys: Ralph, Wally, and Pip, and then there's Jenny." Robyn told him.

"I can't wait to meet them." Patch smiled.

"So, what are you going to go as?" Tom asked him.

"I was thinking of maybe being Krypto the Superdog." Patch replied.

"Cool, so then you just need the cape and the Super symbol and some make-up for your black spots." Jerry said.

"Yeah, that's true..." Patch admitted. "I'll look like my niece Oddball before her spots came in."

"So, she did grow spots?" Robyn asked.

"Eventually, yeah," Patch nodded. "Just a late bloomer."

"So, do you know anyone that can help you with the make-up and cape and Super symbol?" Tom asked.

"I dunno about the make-up yet, but I could always try a little magic." Patch suggested.

"Just be careful," Jerry replied. "That magic stuff seems crazy sometimes."

"Don't worry." Patch assured him before using his magic to change him into Superdog.

Tom and Jerry watched with nearly shielded eyes from the bright light, but Robyn smiled as she loved magic, especially with the way it was apart of her life now, finding out she was part wizard and not knowing when she was younger when she hung out with Uncle Chip. Patch gave a small smirk as he was now ready for the Halloween season in his new costume.

"Whoa, looks like magic was the answer to even handling your spots." Tom smiled.

"I just love being a familiar." Patch smiled back.

Meanwhile, Cherry was putting on some eye-liner and looked in the mirror, oohing at herself as she wore silver hair in a dark pink jacket outfit which was that known as Charmcaster. Lightning soon went off in the house which only meant one thing and Cherry rushed to the closet door to see it was Drell.

"Did you get it?" Cherry asked.

"Hi, Cherry, I'm fine, thanks for asking." Drell crossed his arms.

"Sorry, I just really need to know if you got it." Cherry said.

"Yes, I got it; nearly cost my life, but I got it." Drell groaned as he brought out what Cherry requested.

"Thank you~" Cherry said as she brought out a special collar before calling out. "Okay, you can come out now!"

"I'm still not sure about her coming to Magic School with you and the others," Drell said to Cherry. "I mean... She's a... Well... You know..."

"Can't you just make an exception since she's not a witch or a wizard?" Cherry asked.

"Well, I--" Drell began, but then covered Cherry's mouth and smiled innocently as the door opened. 

A girl soon came in and it was revealed to be Cherry's other good friend known as Cathleen Ross.

"Just don't say I didn't warn you." Drell whispered to Cherry.

"You guys talking about something?" Cathleen asked as she put on the collar.

"Politics!" Drell lied.

Cherry face-palmed to that.

"Now, you're sure that this collar won't make me change under the full moon?" Cathleen asked the warlock.

"I am positive." Drell told her.

"Cherry said people might freak out if they see me as a wolf..." Cathleen said. 

"They're right about that," Drell mumbled under his breath a little rudely which gave him an elbow to the stomach from Cherry. "Anyway, have a good time."

"Remember our deal." Cherry said.

Drell waved her off and left into the closet, shutting the door behind him as lightning flashed as he went back home.

"Did you get your costume?" Cherry asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Cathleen said before going into the room to change real quick and after a few moments, she came back out, dressed as She-Ra.

"Nice." Cherry said.

"I look great." Cathleen smirked.

"Don't bruise your ego, I already have an Atticus." Cherry replied.

"Well, aren't you Little Miss Sunshine?" Cathleen giggled innocently.

Cherry simply rolled her eyes playfully.

"So, when do I meet Atticus?" Cathleen asked.

"He should be here anytime now." Cherry replied.

They soon heard the doorbell ring. 

"Excuse me." Cherry said before going to the door.

Cathleen looked in the mirror and adjusted herself to make a good first impression.

"What's the password?~" Cherry asked in a playfully posh voice, keeping the door shut.

"Best friends forever." Atticus's voice said.

"Hmm..." Cherry smirked. "Ah, I can't stay mad at that, it's so cute and mushy."

"Cherry?!" Atticus's voice replied.

"You may enter." Cherry said, opening the door for him.

Atticus soon came in as Superboy.

"Superboy?" Cherry asked.

"Charmcaster?" Atticus smirked.

Cherry just rolled her eyes to that. "Anyway, Atticus, I'd like you to meet another good friend of mine." She then said.

"Aw, you have a new best friend?" Atticus pouted.

"Cut the theatrics..." Cherry deadpanned. "Hey, Cath, come on out!"

Cathleen soon came out to meet Atticus for the first time and vice versa.

"Hey." Atticus greeted Cathleen.

"Hi!" Cathleen replied. "So, you're the famous Atticus Fudo."

"I'm guessing Cherry's told you a lot about me." Atticus smiled.

"I've heard some things, yes..." Cathleen replied. "I'm kinda jealous."

"Of what?" Atticus asked.

"That you guys get to go on adventures all the time and that Drell sends you on 'em," Cathleen smiled. "I'd love that! My life's kinda boring most of the time."

"Drell mostly sends us on adventures when we feel like it and sometimes just throws us into it without waiting for us to tell if we're ready or not," Atticus told her. "But, yeah, adventures can make your life exciting."

"I can live with that." Cathleen shrugged.

"And yet he chose me..." Cherry muttered about her adventurous lifestyle.

"Anyways, shall we get going?" Atticus asked.

"Where's your dog?" Cherry asked.

"He's going with Tom, Jerry, and Robyn." Atticus said.

"Okay then." Cherry shrugged.

The three of them soon left the house. 

"Uh, why is she wearing a collar?" Atticus asked Cherry.

"Um... Well..." Cherry tapped her knuckles nervously. "Cathleen has a special... Um... Condition."

"What kind of condition?" Atticus asked.

"Uh... Well... It's about the full moon..." Cherry said.

"What is she, a Nix?" Atticus asked.

"Heh... No, not that." Cherry smiled nervously.

"Werewolf?" Atticus guessed.

"Uh... Yeah..." Cherry soon admitted.

Cathleen looked back, sensing she was being talked about as she adjusted the collar so she wouldn't transform and scare people away since she was violent and easily angered which was probably from her wolf genetics.

"So then this would be the fifth werewolf we're friends with." Atticus said.

"I guess you could say that..." Cherry grinned sheepishly.

"I also wanna get into Magic School with you guys." Cathleen said, a bit hopeful.

"You might get into Magic School." Atticus said.

"I want to..." Cathleen said. "It sounds so much better than regular school where everyone just picks on me for no reason and all I wanna do is eat their hearts out, but my dad says I'm not allowed to do that."

"Um, maybe because people need their hearts to live?" Atticus said, looking a little disturbed.

"They deserve it..." Cathleen narrowed her eyes.

"Cath, no." Cherry told her.

"Hmph." Cathleen pouted and crossed her arms.

'She's an interesting case,' Atticus thought to himself. 'I wonder how Patch is doing?'

 

Patch waited with Tom, Jerry, and Robyn until the doorbell rang.

Mr. Starling came to the door and answered it with a smile once he saw that it was his brother-in-law. "Ah, Chip, so good to see you."

"Sorry, I'm late, but I hada little pest problem, but I'm sure now." Chip said.

"It's really good to see you, come on in," Mr. Starling smiled as he let his brother-in-law inside. "Robyn! Your Uncle Chip is here!" he then called out to upstairs, knowing his daughter would be with Tom and Jerry.

"Coming!" Robyn called back before coming downstairs with the animals.

Patch came down first and held out his paw to show off Robyn. "Presenting, our very own Robyn Starling as Wonder Girl!" he then announced.

Robyn smiled and did a small twirl in her costume.

"Oh, Robyn, that's a wonderful costume." Chip smiled to his niece.

"Thanks, Uncle Chip." Robyn smiled back before she felt a sudden chill.

Mr. Starling couldn't believe how grown-up Robyn looked in her Wonder Girl outfit. Tom and Jerry smiled to Robyn, but frowned in concern as she suddenly shivered.

"Uncle Chip, can wizards tell when something bad's happened to someone?" Robyn asked.

"Sometimes they can, certain ones do," Chip replied. "Your mother used to get like that all the time with her friends. Oh, Robyn, do you feel something?"

"I think I do." Robyn replied.

"Like someone's ghost just left his or her body?" Chip asked.

"Yeah." Robyn nodded.

"That's odd..." Chip commented.

"G-G-Ghost?!" Tom shivered, as his fur stood on end.

"Something's wrong, I just know it." Robyn frowned.

"You still want to come out though, don't you?" Chip asked her. "We don't have to if you're not feeling well."

"No, no, I do." Robyn said.

"You're sure?" Mr. Starling asked.

"Yes, Daddy, I'm sure, but I think we should be careful." Robyn reassured.

"That's a good idea." Patch nodded in agreement.

Tom and Jerry still felt worried about Robyn.

"Maybe I should stay here and help Robyn's dad give out Halloween candy." Tom smiled nervously to Patch and Jerry.

"You're coming with." Patch said.

"M-M-Me? S-Should I?!" Tom asked nervously.

"Aw, come on, Tom, don't tell me you're a scaredy cat on Halloween." Patch smirked to the gray cat. 

"He kinda is sometimes." Jerry whispered to Patch with a small smirk back.

"No, I'm not!" Tom glared.

"He got really scared of ghosts when we heard a radio drama about them one year." Jerry told Patch.

"Did not!" Tom pouted.

"Oh, really?" Jerry smirked.

"Jerry, you didn't try to scare him because he was already frightened, did you?" Robyn asked, almost firmly.

"Maybe... Maybe not?" Jerry replied innocently.

"Yes, he did!" Tom nodded firmly.

"Jerry!" Robyn scolded a little.

"It was just a harmless prank." Jerry shrugged modestly.

"Well, it's time to go right now," Chip smiled as he adjusted his cloak. "I just love a good Halloween."

"Halloween's a big deal in the supernatural world it seems." Patch commented.

"It sure is." Chip said.

"Be back before it gets too dark." Mr. Starling reminded.

"We will, Daddy, see you later." Robyn smiled before leaving with her uncle and animal friends.

"Let's start trick-or-treating." Patch said.

Robyn smiled as they soon left out as it was almost getting dark.

Darla was with Cherry, Atticus, and Cathleen as she waited to see Amber and Annabelle so that they could trick-or-treat together and wore a costume that Cherry recommended for her which was the tragic villain known as Baby Doll from the old show: Love That Baby, who looked a lot like Darla herself, only in purple and black clothes, and she even had her own doll, but luckily this one was just a prop and didn't have any ammo inside of it. Amber and Annabelle soon arrived after some time.

"There they are," Darla smiled. "I'll see you later, Atticus."

"If you have any trouble, just call me." Atticus reminded her as she ran off.

"I will!" Darla promised as she ran off to her friends.

"This is going to be a great Halloween." Amber smiled.

"It sure is," Annabelle smiled back. "Uh, what's your costume again, Amber?" 

"I'm Princess Anna." Amber clarified.

"Ah, that's right..." Annabelle nodded.

"And I'm Baby Doll." Darla smiled.

"And I'm Supergirl!" Annabelle beamed.

"Excellent choice, Annabelle!" Atticus called out with a laugh before they separated for the night.

"This is gonna be great!" Cathleen beamed. "This Halloween is gonna be an adventure!"

"Yeah, yeah." Cherry said. 

"Still wanna go for it." Cathleen smirked.

"Be my guest, just don't come crying to me if Drell wakes you up at 3:00 in the morning to send you to, I dunno, Atlantis." Cherry deadpanned.

"I think I'll live." Cathleen said.

Cherry rolled her eyes in slight deadpan.

"Oh! Patch!" Atticus smiled and waved, seeing his dog across the street with Robyn, Tom, Jerry, and Chip.

"Hey, Atticus!" Patch smiled back.

"So, that's the dog who can drive?" Cathleen asked.

"Yep." Cherry replied.

"Why did you teach your dog how to drive?" Cathleen asked Atticus.

"Just in case he would ever be in another car chase." Atticus said.

Cathleen shared a look with Cherry.

"I dunno, Cath, he's a weird kid..." Cherry told her. "Patch used to be a normal dog until the family visited London that one time while I stayed home."

"Being normal is overrated." Patch said.

Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Um, hello." Robyn smiled to Cathleen.

"Hi." Cathleen gave a small nod of her head.

"So, where are we headed?" Cherry asked.

"Gotta pick up my friends." Robyn smiled.

"You have friends?" Cherry asked only for Atticus to nudge her. "I didn't mean it like that!" she then told him.

"Yeah, she made five friends." Patch smiled.

"Well, way to go," Cherry smirked. "You remind me of a very young Twilight Sparkle."

Cathleen shuddered at the mention of ponies as she didn't seem interested in going to Equestria.

"I used to be home-schooled before I met you guys." Robyn told them about why she didn't really have any friends before she had met Tom and Jerry.

"Oh, that's an interesting way to learn." Atticus said.

"Daddy just thought it would be easier for me," Robyn nodded. "Come on, I'll show you guys where the others live."

The others followed her while Jerry did a ghostly moan right behind Tom which made him scream and then glare down at the laughing mouse.

"Not funny!" Tom glared at Jerry.

Jerry just kept laughing and smirked to Tom.

"Oh, you make me angry!" Tom glared as he grabbed Jerry in his paw.

"Ahem!" Robyn's voice cleared firmly.

"But he started it!" Tom whined.

"I don't care who started it, I'm ending it," Robyn told her pets. "Now come on, let's go get Jenny."

"So, what's she going as?" Patch asked.

"She's going as a witch." Robyn told him.

"What girl doesn't go as a witch for Halloween?" Chip chuckled.

"I did that last year actually." Robyn smiled to him.

They soon went over to the girl named Jenny's house.


	2. Chapter 2

They came to the house and were about to knock on the door.

"What's with all the racket down there?" A woman's voice asked from inside.

"Just looking for another broom, Mom!" A young girl's voice replied.

"Sounds like Jenny's getting her 'magic' broomstick ready." Robyn told the other with air quote included.

"Ooh~..." Cherry said, though it sounded like fake astonishment.

They waited a little while before a girl with brown braided hair came out with her bicycle with the broomstick attached to it.

"Hey, Jenny." Robyn smiled.

"Hey, Robyn," Jenny smiled back. "Oh, wow, great costume!"

"Thanks, you have a great one too." Robyn smiled.

"Thanks." Jenny smiled back before seeing the others.

"These are some friends," Robyn said. "Cherry, Atticus, and... Um..." she then looked to Cathleen. "What was your name again?"

"Cathleen." The teenage werewolf replied, a bit annoyed that her name was forgotten so easily.

"And who are these three?" Jenny smiled as she bent down to the animals.

"Patch is Atticus's dog, but those are my pets, Tom and Jerry." Robyn smiled back.

Tom gave a small wave while Jerry smiled from behind Tom's left leg. Patch smiled at Jenny with a small wave.

"They're all so cute," Jenny smiled. "Atticus, may I pet your dog?"

"You may." Atticus allowed.

Jenny then reached down to pet Patch. Patch allowed Jenny to pet him.

"Such a good dog..." Jenny smiled. "You must be very proud."

"I really am." Atticus smiled back.

Cathleen looked like she was getting impatient as they stopped at first.

"Let's get going." Jenny said.

Patch smiled to Jenny as he knew that she was a very nice girl and a good friend for Robyn as they walked off to the next house.

They soon went to the next house where a boy was being dressed up like a mummy.

"Dressed as a mummy? Classic." Cherry said.

"Of course you would like it." Atticus teased.

"Nyah." Cherry stuck her tongue out.

A blonde boy in glasses soon came out to see them.

"Hi, Ralph." Jenny and Robyn smiled.

"Hi, Jenny," Ralph smiled back. "Hi, Robyn."

"Your dad wrap you up?" Robyn guessed.

"Yeah, he just hopes no one needs First Aid tonight." Ralph nodded with a chuckle.

"I'm sure no one will." Robyn said. 

"Who's next?" Atticus asked Robyn and Jenny.

"You guys see Pip yet?" Ralph asked.

"Not yet, we're on our way though," Robyn smiled before looking to Atticus. "We still gotta get Pip, Wally, and Tom."

"Let's save Pip for last," Cathleen said. "Whoever this Pip guy is."

"Pip loves Halloween more than anyone." Jenny smiled.

"Oh, really?" Cherry smirked mysteriously.

"Yep, he was born on Halloween after all." Jenny smiled.

It was quiet for a minute.

"That wasn't a--" Atticus began.

"Challenge accepted." Cherry smirked.

"Oh, boy." Atticus groaned.

They soon came to the next house and heard what sounded like growling.

"What is that?" Cathleen asked out of interest, hoping it was another werewolf.

"That must be Wally." Robyn giggled.

"Oh." Cathleen frowned.

They soon came to the house and saw a boy come out, dressed like a monster.

"Hi, Wally." The kids smiled to their friend.

"Hey, guys, what do you think?" Wally smiled back. "You think I'll scare Pip for sure?"

"It would be a surprise to us if it did." Robyn smiled back.

They soon went to the next house.

"So, this kid's name is Tom too?" Atticus asked.

"Yep," Robyn said. "Tom Skelton."

"So I'm guessing he'll be going as a skeleton then?" Atticus smirked playfully.

"Good one, probably." Jenny giggled to that.

A boy soon came out in a skeleton costume.

"All right, that's everybody, now we gotta get Pip." Robyn smiled.

"Has he ever met up with you guys?" Atticus asked.

"Last year, we met up down the street together and we'd begin trick-or-treating." Ralph explained.

"Hmm... I wonder what's taking him?" Robyn said.

"Huh, where is Pip?" Tom S wondered.

"He's never been late for Halloween in a million, zillion years." Ralph frowned.

"Something's wrong." Robyn frowned before remembering her feeling from earlier as she began to make a run for Pip's house.

"Robyn!" The others yelped.

"Robyn, get back here!" Chip called out in concern for his young niece for running off like that before going after her.

"Come on, we better follow her." Jenny suggested as she gripped her bike's handle bars.

The group began to hurry to follow after Robyn.

"Robyn, what's wrong?!" Jenny called out.

"We have to hurry to Pip's place!" Robyn told them.

"Why?!" Cherry called out.

"Because he has appendicitis!" Robyn told them.

"Appendicitis?!" Cherry and Atticus repeated, a bit fearfully. 

"Is that contagious?" Tom asked Jerry and Patch.

"Not exactly." Patch frowned as they continued.

They then dashed off to Pip's house and Chip started to now realize why Robyn was acting like she did back at her house.

"There's his house," Tom S pointed out before seeing something. "Huh?"

"Impossible!" Ralph frowned.

"It can't be." Jenny added.

"What?" Wally gasped. 

They soon looked over to Pip's house as it wasn't even decorated which was unlike someone who loved Halloween.

"Where are the Jack-O-Lanterns?! Where's the decorations?! Where's anything?!" Cherry ranted.

"There's an ambulance by the house." Atticus said.

Two adults who must've been Pip's parents looked quite heartbroken as the boy was taken away by the paramedics before they climbed into the ambulance with him. It seemed to get very dark as Pip was taken away and this proved to be the scariest and saddest moment in all of Halloween history. The ambulance soon drove off with both Pip and his parents.

"We're too late.." Robyn said with tears in her sapphire eyes. 

Tom and Jerry frowned because Robyn was sad, they could never stand it when she was sad. They soon saw a note on the door. Patch barked to get the kids' attention. The kids looked over and came to check out the note.

"'Dear Tom and all the gang,

Didn't mean to spoil your Halloween, off to the hospital. Something about appendicitis, don't worry. -Pip. PS: Go ahead without me, I'll catch up.

Ready. Set. Go!"

"But we can't go without Pip." Robyn frowned.

"We just can't start Halloween without him." Ralph agreed.

"It wouldn't be official." Wally frowned.

"He must mean a lot to you guys." Chip said, admiring their friendship.

"He really does." Tom said.

"We just can't start Halloween without Pip." Robyn frowned.

Chip frowned back, feeling bad for his niece.

"There's a shortcut to the hospital." Tom said once he got an idea.

"You don't mean." Robyn gulped.

"No... Not that shortcut!" Wally added out of fear.

"Come on, you all heard him. Ready... Set... Go!" Tom replied before he ran off.

"Let's get going." Atticus said.

They soon went off after Tom as this Halloween was going to be very different compared to many others before.

They took the shortcut which seemed a bit creepy at night, but Cherry enjoyed it.

"This path is more my style." Cherry smirked.

"Of course it is." Atticus and Cathleen both deadpanned slightly.

"You think Pip will be surprised?" Jenny asked Tom.

"He did say to start Halloween without him." Robyn added.

"It'll be worth it to see the look on his face." Tom smiled.

"You're right." Robyn smiled back.

"I'm hungry, does anyone have steak?" Cathleen asked.

"You already ate dinner, and don't you eat anything besides steak?" Cherry replied.

"I'm a meatarian, I only eat--" Cathleen was about to say.

"I said besides steak, you always say that whenever I ask that." Cherry cut her off which made Cathleen smile sheepishly.

"Coming through!" Jenny called out before turning a corner.

"Jenny, wait!" Tom told her. "Stop!"

They soon went to follow after Jenny as she biked through the trees.

"Come on, guys." Patch told Tom and Jerry, but the cat looked nervous about going that way. And of course, he decided to drag the cat along with them. 

"He is so going to be surprised," Robyn smiled. "Who else to get him through this than his own friends and some new?"

"That's a great idea, Robyn." Wally smiled.

"Thanks, Wally." Robyn smiled back.

Jenny giggled as she biked ahead of everyone, but then gasped when she saw something come up, so she suddenly stopped before she would slide down what appeared to be a cliff into the ravine.

"You okay, Jenny?" Robyn asked as she and the others caught up.

"Uh, mind helping me out a little?" Jenny asked nervously.

"Of course not." Robyn soothed as she pulled Jenny's bike back.

"Whew, thanks." Jenny sighed. 

"There's the shortcut." Robyn said with a gulp.

"There... There's the shortcut!" Tom pointed. 

"N-Not the ravine!" Wally gasped.

"What's wrong with the ravine?" Cathleen shrugged modestly.

"It's creepy." Robyn shivered.

"Try living as a Lycan." Cathleen muttered slightly.

"I-Isn't there any other shortcut?" Ralph shivered.

"I think they do have a point there." Wally told Tom.

"Uh, guys, wasn't your friend being placed in an ambulance and was on his way to the hospital?" Chip asked Robyn and her new friends.

"Yeah, why?" Tom S asked.

"Then who's that?" Chip asked as he pointed down to the ravine.

"Hey... It's Pip!" Tom S said in surprise as they found a boy running down the ravine.

"But... I can see right through him..." Wally said in a shocked fright.

"Same here." Atticus said.

"Nah, it's just his funny movement." Ralph shook his head in denial.

"The important thing is, he isn't sick." Tom S told the others.

"Then let's go catch up with him." Atticus said.

"It's weird... I can smell... A spirit..." Cathleen said as her wolf senses kicked in, even if she couldn't turn into a wolf tonight because of the collar that Drell got for her. "Like... A ghost or maybe a halfa."

"Let's follow the trail." Chip said.

"Uncle Chip's right." Robyn agreed.

"Something doesn't add up," Cherry said. "If that's Pip, then why was there an ambulance at his house?"

"Don't you get it? It was a joke the whole time." Tom S replied.

"I'm not sure if I like this." Cherry commented.

"What a trickster!" Tom S smiled about their friend. "Hey, Pip, you sure had us fooled! Where's your Halloween costume?"

Pip didn't seem to hear him or chose to ignore him because he was still running off.

"After him!" Robyn called out.

"Not you too, guys!" Ralph griped at first. 

Jenny still felt scared about biking any further as the others began to go after Pip. Chip began to help Jenny down the path to catch up with the others.

"Thank you, sir." Jenny nervously told him.

"No problem." Chip told her.

Cherry, Cathleen, and Atticus followed after in their own way while Cherry was being extra careful. The ravine seemed to be filled with varieties of darkness such as shadows, toad's eyes, and raven beaks.

"This is like something out of a horror movie." Patch whispered as they passed by the creepy looking trees.

"It's almost like we were in that forest with Snow White." Atticus whispered back.

"Oh, dude, don't remind me of that," Cherry replied. "That was pretty messed up."

"Is it just me or do this trees look like their alive?" Jerry asked.

"Oh, good, you saw that too, I thought I was going crazy." Tom said.

"No, no, you're crazy, but that's not the point." Jerry replied.

One of the trees seemed to grab onto Ralph. Ralph gasped from that and tried to get out.

"Okay, whoever's trying to pull a trick, it isn't funny," Cathleen warned as she nearly looked like she was going to turn into a wolf, but didn't due to the collar. "Maybe I should try to stop this."

"Hey, guys, what's that?" Cherry asked the ones who were mortals and that didn't know that monsters, magic, and other supernatural things were real as she pointed to the opposite direction.

"What?" The others replied.

"Uh, right there!" Cherry smiled nervously. "It's big as Atticus's head!"

"Stop that!" Atticus complained.

Cathleen saw what Cherry was doing and where she decided to use her werewolf side to good use. The kids soon seemed distracted.

"Nothing too severe, okay?" Cherry asked as she walked toward her to take the collar off.

"You know, for a goth, you sure are easy to scare." Cathleen teased.

"I just don't want these kids to be scarred for life, okay?" Cherry asked her as she took the collar off her.

"You worry too much..." Cathleen said before the full moon shined down on her which made her look up.

Cherry then backed up away from Cathleen to give her some room. Cathleen soon fell to her knees as she groaned and her bones were heard cracking slightly as she had fangs come out of her mouth and claws pop out of her fingertips as she began to turn into a brown/blonde-haired wolf. Atticus didn't look scared as he saw this coming.

"Go nuts." Cherry shrugged.

Cathleen soon snarled and moved through the forest, rather quickly while growling like a feral wolf. She soon got the tree to let go of Ralph.

"W-What's going on?" Ralph gasped.

Cathleen hacked at the tree branch with her claws and breaking it with her werewolf strength.

"You okay, Ralph?" Robyn asked.

"I... I think so..." Ralph said. "Man, it's like that tree was trying to hurt me or something like in The Wizard of Oz."

"I can't stand those trees." Cherry grumbled.

"Anyways, we gotta keep going." Atticus said.

Cathleen snarled and looked like a wild wolf.

"Okay, that's enough." Cherry said, putting the collar back on Cathleen so she wouldn't go on a blind rampage.

"Huh? What happened?" Cathleen muttered after changing back.

"You nearly went into a blind rampage." Cherry said.

"My dad warned me about that." Cathleen smiled sheepishly.

They soon finally made it out of the ravine and found a house in the middle of the forest.

"Hmm... I'm not sure what it is, but I feel like I've seen that house before." Chip commented.

"That house looks like it's haunted." Robyn said.

Tom and Jerry looked curious to their owner's uncle.

"Hmm... I wonder why he thinks that?" Patch wondered while Tom and Jerry nodded in silence like they used to before they were talked into becoming friends which would then introduce them to their new and permanent home with Robyn and her father.

"Who wants to knock?" Atticus asked the group.

"Isn't it common that the gentleman gets the door for the lady?" Cherry teased in a dainty voice. 

"I thought you weren't scared." Atticus smirked.

"I'm not; I just thought you'd want to knock on the door." Cherry teased back.

"That's a Marley knocker!" Jenny gasped.

"Marley knocker?" Cathleen asked. "What the heck does that mean?"

"You know, A Christmas Carol, Scrooge and Marley." Jenny explained.

"Oh... I knew that." Cathleen replied.

Robyn soon gulped before walking up to the knocker and began to use it.

"Oh! She was so young!" Tom yowled.

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's gonna be alright!" Jerry told the cat.

The knocker seemed to smirk at them and the steps seemed to break down beyond repair as if to keep them from leaving.

"What else is new?" Cherry grumbled.

"Great! Now you've done it, Robyn." Wally added.

"Enter~..." A mysterious voice beckoned before the door creaked open.

"NOT THAT AGAIN!" Tom and Jerry suddenly panicked from the twister in the background.

"Guys, that twister seems smaller than the last ones we encountered." Patch told the tom cat and brown mouse.

"I knew that." Jerry said, a little cocky.

Patch rolled his eyes and shook his head to that while Tom tried to calm down. The twister soon faded into the wind with leaves blowing and seemed to try to blow them inside of the house.

"Whoa!" The group yelped.

Cherry and Cathleen tried to hold on, Cherry held onto the stand while Cathleen held her legs.

"Can't... Hold... On... Much... LONGER!" Cherry cried out.

After a little while, Cherry let go, causing her and Cathleen to be blown in. Eventually, everyone else was blown inside of the house.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm not one to believe in haunted houses, but that sure looks like one to me." Wally agreed.

"Let's go check it out." Cherry suggested. 

"Yeah, it could be fun." Cathleen said.

"Well, I guess it's harmless enough." Atticus replied.

"What is wrong with you guys?!" Wally asked them. "Why aren't you scared?!"

"Please, my my mother is scarier than this place." Cathleen deadpanned and rolled her eyes. 

The group soon made their way to the house.

"I swear, I know this house from somewhere." Chip muttered as he traveled with the kids.

They came to the house. The house looked as if it had been cut out of black marble, with so many chimneys, the roof seemed to bash cemeteries. Each flume signifying a variable place of some old, forgotten, God of Fire. 

Atticus saw that the younger kids were scared and decided to help comfort them by singing a song like whenever Darla felt scared. "Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee, A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be, Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-oo, Good luck will rub off when I shakes hands with you, Or blow me a kiss , And that's lucky too~" 

The song seemed to do the trick as the younger kids now didn't look as scared as they did a few moments ago.

"Now as the ladder of life as been strung, You may think a sweep's on the bottommost rung, Though I spends me time in the ashes and smoke, In this whole wide world there's no happier bloke~" Atticus smiled to them as they walked closer to the house.

Eventually, the kids sang along with him just like in the movie Mary Poppins when Bert found Jane and Michael. They soon got to the door. 

"This is the best prank he's ever played." Tom S commented.

"But it's not fair, he's gonna trick-or-treat ahead of us!" Jenny pouted.

"Yeah! Pip always gets the most candy!" Ralph added.

When they touched the steps, the steps seemed to shake like they had been disturbed somehow. 

"I swear, this place seems really familiar." Chip wondered.

They all soon landed on the floor and the door slammed shut right behind them.

"Looks like we're gonna be here a while." Cherry grumbled from underneath Cathleen.

"This place is even creepier inside." Cathleen said.

"Can't be worse than Selene's place." Cherry whispered to her.

A man soon came out from the shadows with a sneer. "Why have you disrupted me and my business?" he demanded sharply.

"Um, Trick or Treat?" Robyn gulped.

"Oh... I really have no time for this..." The man sighed as he took out a pocket watch which seemed to have an hourglass inside of it. 

"But sir, it's Halloween, and--" Jenny began.

"So, you've come to trick me, is that it?" The man asked. "What would the treat be then, huh?"

"We weren't going to trick you." Robyn said.

"Yeah, uh, we saw our friend coming in here; if you let him out, that would be a treat." Tom S nervously added.

"Yeah!" The others added in agreement before a chair suddenly shook and wobbled beside Wally.

"Who are you?" The man demanded.

"This guy sure is demanding." Cathleen whispered to Cherry.

"Shh." Cherry shushed.

"M-My name's Tom Skelton." Tom told the man.

"Do you know why you are wearing bones, boy? Bah! Didn't think so," The man replied before going to Ralph. "And you?"

"R-Ralph." Ralph gulped.

"Why so dressed up in an ancient mummy's rags?" The man demanded. "Time's up! And you!" he then pointed to Wally. "The big one?"

"M-Me, sir?" Wally replied.

"Why a monster's face?" The man smirked before turning to the others. "And you, girls?"

"Jenny, and this is Robyn, Cherry, and Cathleen." Jenny glared bravely. 

"Why are you wearing the costumes of a witch, a sorceress, and... I'm not sure what those two are?" The man asked, though he didn't recognize Cathleen and Robyn's costumes.

"I'm dressed as Wonder Girl." Robyn told him.

"And I'm She-Ra, old man." Cathleen added, a bit angered and annoyed.

"It's been a long time." Chip told the old man.

"Do I know you?" The man replied.

"Uncle Chip, you know this man?" Robyn asked.

"I sure do," Chip replied. "This is the man who tutored your mother and I when we were younger."

"Really?" Robyn asked.

"Yes," Chip replied. "This is Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud."

"Why... You're Charles Mulciber..." The man soon recognized Chip after he said that.

"Is that your actual name?" Atticus asked Chip.

"Yes, it is." Chip admitted.

The man soon looked towards Robyn and felt stuck on her for some reason because of how much she looked just like her mother which made him look quite curious.

"Can I help you?" Robyn asked the man.

"You look so familiar..." Moundshroud said to her. "What is your name?"

"Robyn," The blonde girl replied. "Robyn Starling."

"She's my favorite niece." Chip told the older man.

"Aren't I your only niece?" Robyn asked her uncle.

"Still my favorite." Chip smiled.

"So... Her mother is Andrea then...?" Moundshroud asked.

"Yes, she is..." Chip said, though a bit soft at the mention of his sister.

"Anyway, why did you ask them questions about their costumes?" Cathleen asked while pointing to Robyn's new friends.

"You too." Cherry smirked.

Cathleen let out a small annoyed glance towards her.

"Oh, I'm wasting my breath," Mountshroud sighed. "All dressed up for All Hallow's Eve, but you all don't know why, or even what, or where. Mm... What a pity!"

"Listen, did you see their friend come in here or not?" Atticus asked Mountshroud.

"I'm sorry, but I am quite busy, with a lot of tricks instead of treats, so if you'll excuse me." Moundshroud smirked as lightning flashed behind him, but a certain boy was seen running inside of the house.

"There he is!" Atticus called out.

The boy soon smiled to Wally and held out his hand.

"Pip! But... You're a ghost!" Wally gasped to his friend.

"So, there you are," Moundshroud told Pip which soon made him run away. "Stop! We still have an appointment, you and I," he then glared to the others, blaming them. "Now see what you've done?!"

"We didn't do anything, old man!" Cathleen glared in offense.

"And what did you mean when you said that you and Pip had an appointment?" Robyn asked Moundshroud out of suspicion.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Moundshroud replied. "You see... It's all about pumpkins."

"I know where he's going; quick, we have to go outside now." Chip told the kids and animals.

"Are you sure, Uncle Chip?" Robyn asked.

"Positive, just come with me." Chip told her.

The group soon followed after Chip as he brought them out. They came to a very large tree that had pumpkins in it.

"I thought pumpkins grew in the ground?" Cathleen said out of confusion.

"Uncle Chip, what is this tree?" Robyn asked her uncle.

"Why, it's very simple; this is a Halloween Tree." Chip told her.

The pumpkins on the tree were not mere pumpkins. Each one had a face sliced in it, and each face was different. Every nose was a weirder nose, every mouth smiled hideously in some new way. A thousand grimaces and twice times the thousand layers in fresh eyes. Each leaf held the qualm of the holiday spirit of years gone by. Pip was soon seen walking by and then climbing up the Halloween Tree.

"Why is Pip going up the Halloween tree?" Cherry asked.

"Oh, bother! Now stay out of there!" Moundshroud complained. 

Pip didn't seem to listen to anyone as he climbed up the tree. 

"Is it me or are the eyes lighting up the further up he gets?" Atticus asked the others.

"It's not just you." Cherry said.

"Uncle Chip, are all those jack-o-lanterns actually souls from people?" Robyn asked her uncle.

"I didn't want to scare you, but yes, they are..." Chip told his niece. "It's a heavy price to pay, especially with a man like Moundshroud around. I've learned that lesson many times the hard way during my schooling with your mother, she was always the more responsible one."

"So, are the souls encouraging Pip into getting his jack-o-lantern?" Robyn guessed.

"Exactly, it's all part of a big deal," Chip said. "I was hoping to tell you this when you were a little older, but I guess better early than never, right?"

"I'm very mature for my age," Robyn defended. "...Especially during that fire when Daddy saved me, Tom, and Jerry."

"It's true." Patch smiled. 

Hearing him talk caused the other kids who were mortal to be surprised.

"Hi!" Patch smiled. "Ever see a talking dog before?"

The kids shook their heads from the shock.

"Oh, whoops..." Patch smiled nervously. "I guess you guys are mortals."

"Yes, they are, Patch." Robyn nodded.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking." Patch smiled nervously.

"No way..." Tom S said. "Someone's playing a trick."

"I'm afraid the only trick here is Puppy Power." Patch smiled.

"So that power really is real? I thought it was just a legend." Jenny said.

"Oh, you've heard about it?" Patch smiled.

"Once, a long time ago..." Jenny smiled back. "That's pretty cool though. A talking dog." 

"You wanna see more?" Cathleen smirked, about to grab her collar to take it off.

"No, don't!" Cherry told her as she stopped her.

"I'm just kidding." Cathleen snickered.

Cherry looked quite annoyed and unamused from that. Pip soon reached for the pumpkin that resembled him which made three pumpkins snap off from the tree, but luckily, they landed in a soft leaf pile down on the ground.

"Whew." Chip sighed.

Moundshroud soon yelled out which brought out strong winds. 

"Come on, we gotta help him." Tom S told the others as he began to go over the porch.

"You can count on us." Atticus said.

The others soon went to go after him so that they could help their friend in need.

"Children, no!" Moundshroud told them. "No more interference!"

"Don't listen to him!" Chip told them.

"Charles?!" Moundshroud scolded.

"My name is Chip." Chip firmly pouted as he hated to be called Charles.

"Luckily I'm a pretty great climber." Robyn said to herself as she was able to climb up the tree with her friends.

"Just don't look down." Atticus told the others.

"Don't do what I wouldn't do." Cherry added, staying on the ground.

"You've had your fun, boy, don't touch that." Moundshroud demanded to Pip.

"Gotcha." Pip smiled as he soon grabbed the pumpkin.

"He got it!" Chip smiled.

"It belongs to me!" Moundshroud glared at the boy. "Bring it here!"

Pip shook his head and soon fell from the free, passing by his living friends and landed in the leaf pile. Tom passed out from that and Jerry was soon trying to wake the cat up. Patch soon started to lick Tom's face, knowing that would wake him up.

"Toodles, is that you? It's been so long..." Tom smiled in a daze before waking up.

"Seriously? You're thinking about her?" Patch asked him, looking unimpressed.

Tom looked a bit bashful. "Oh, well, at least it's not... Nancy..." he then shuddered.

Jerry looked a little guilty about something since he and Tom were friends now once he heard that name.

"Um, Nancy?" Patch asked.

"John and Beth's niece," Tom explained about his and Jerry's old lives together before they met Robyn. "Every time she came over, she always dressed me up like a baby and always yelled at me if I didn't play with her."

"Yikes, she sounds like a nightmare." Patch said.

"Believe me, she was." Tom muttered.

"Yeah... I kinda didn't help by laughing at you and making fun of you and inviting your cat friends over to see you like that too." Jerry said to Tom.

"I kinda had it coming." Tom shrugged.

"I still got more to learn about you two." Patch said to Tom and Jerry.

"Inexcusable! Inexcusable behavior!" Moundshroud yelled out as lightning flashed. 

"Can it, you old geezer." Cathleen glared.

"Yeah!" Atticus added.

"Guys! Please!" Cherry begged as that wasn't going to help. 

The kids soon ran into the leaf pile to try and look for Pip as he seemed to disappear after falling into the leaves.

"Where'd he go?" Robyn asked as they searched through the pile.

Moundshroud soon used his powers again to change the wind patterns and blow the leaves all away.

"He's gone! Oh, wait, there he--" Cherry gasped before pointing, but she was unable to find Pip. "Uh... Isn't?" 

"He melted!" Jenny cried out.

"No, he hasn't." Atticus said.

They soon heard cries of help from the twister which came from their lost friend. Tom shivered as he found that to be pretty spooky.

"Oh, bother! Bother, I say!" Moundshroud grumbled as he came to the group. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Now my entire night schedule is thrown off!"

"Where did you send Pip?" Chip asked.

"Oh, I didn't send him anywhere, Charles." Moundshroud replied.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Chip complained. 

"Listen, you better tell us where he is or else I'm gonna make you wish you had sooner." Cathleen threatened, almost sounding like her wolf self.

"Oh, he must not have liked my company, so he escaped," Moundshroud replied. "Escaped with I might add, with a pumpkin that is my property!"

"No, he has not!" Chip glared.

"Listen here, Mr. Clav... Clavicl..." Robyn struggled at first.

"Clavicle, but you may call me Mr. Moundshroud." Moundshroud corrected and replied.

"Whatever your name is, you bring him back right now." Tom S replied firmly, trying to help Robyn.

"Ah, if only life were that easy," Moundshroud smirked. "But now, Pip's escaped to the undiscovered country. No telling it will take for me to find him again!"

"Then take us with you." Patch said.

"What?!" Some of the others gasped to that.

"Impossible!" Moundshroud replied. "You've helped quite enough, thank you."

"You'll never get him alone." Chip said.

"Anything's possible on Halloween, right?" Wally added.

"Ha! What do you know about Halloween?" Moundshroud huffed. "A bunch of meddlers come barging into my house, plundering into my business, not even knowing why you are dressed as a skeleton, witch, mummy, or..." he then glanced to Wally, feeling perplexed at first. "Hmm... Wait a minute... It is a long trip, and it's hours before dawn, so we should have enough time. If we fly fast enough." He then smirked after looking to his pocket watch.

"So?" Jerry smiled.

"And far enough!" Moundshroud continued.

"Yes?" The group replied.

"We might be able to catch 'Pipkin', fire his pumpkin fire's soul, and have a scavenger hunt a well," Moundshroud replied. "So you can find out who you are, what you're made of, and retrieve your 'Pipkin' at the same time. Well, will you come with me and solve three mysteries in one?"

"You better believe it." Robyn said.

"I'm watching you." Cathleen almost growled.

"What fun then!" Moundshroud grinned, rubbing his hands together. "The undiscovered country it is! Feast your eyes! A thousand Halloweens way out there to swallow us whole! And look there on the side of the barn, the makings of a Halloween kite! Do you see?"

"Halloween Kite...?" Cherry muttered in deadpan.

"How is a kite going to get us to the undiscovered country?" Tom asked.

"This way, Skeleton, this way, Mummy, this path, Witch, this meadow, Monster, this way, the rest of you," Moundshroud told them, leading them to the barn which seemed to be abandoned. "Do you see? Do you see?!"

They soon saw tattered tapestries left behind from circus acts.

"Whoa, that's a lot of posters." Atticus said.

"Let's build a kite then, shall we?" Moundshroud smirked.

"With tuppence for paper and strings, You can have your own set of wings, With your feet on the ground~" Atticus soon sang.

"Atticus, we don't have time for another--" Cherry said.

"You're a bird in a flight, With your fist holding tight, To the string of your kite~" Atticus sang anyway.

"Song." Cherry face-palmed.

"It's contagious." Robyn smiled.

"Oh, come on, Cherry, this song always made you happy when you were a kid." Atticus told Cherry.

"Fine..." Cherry said before they both sang Let's Go Fly a Kite, it was kind of funny because of how monotone and deadpan she was compared to his exciting and energetic.

They began to make the kite but as they were about to use the posters the lion on the first poster roared.

"Cath, please tell me that was your stomach." Cherry begged.

"I am kinda hungry, but no, it wasn't." Cathleen said.

"T-That lion on that poster just roared." Robyn gulped.

Moundshroud soon used his powers on the posters. The animals could be heard calling out in their usual wildlife sounds as Moundshroud made bits and pieces of the posters into the kite, nearly sounding like they were actually there.

"W-When you see it flying up there, All at once you're lighter than air~..." Cherry quickly sang to calm herself down, hoping none of the animals would attack her for no reason.

"Uh, is that kite flying all wild like or is it just me?" Patch asked.

"I was hoping that was just me." Tom shivered.

"That does look kinda strange looking..." Jerry admitted.

Moundshroud soon gathered the pieces and patches together to make a super Halloween kite.

"So, this really will get us to the undiscovered country?" Atticus asked Moundshroud.

"I thought you'd never ask." Moundshroud replied as he tugged on the kite as it seemed quite huge, but was able to get it in the air, though, there was a problem.

"It won't fly straight." Cathleen pointed out. 

"A proper kite needs a tail, don't you think?" Cherry suggested.

"We'll have to be its tail." Patch said.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Cherry asked.

Patch soon showed them what he meant.

"Oh... Of course..." Cherry said, feeling queasy already.

"This is so awesome~" Cathleen smiled since she got to have an adventure with both Cherry and Atticus since she always wanted to.

"Right, children!" Moundshroud approved. "Who else for the tail?"

The rest of the group soon joined Patch.

"This is amazing," Cathleen smiled. "When do we fight villains?"

"I don't think we will this adventure, it seems harmless from here." Cherry shrugged.

"I just remembered, I don't like heights!" Jenny gasped before she started to say some math problems out loud.

"Then just close your eyes!" Robyn told her.

Kids were seen trick-or-treating as they seemed not to notice them in the air, except for three.

"Is that Atticus and the others?" Darla wondered as she stood with Amber and Annabelle.

"No way." Amber said.

"It couldn't be... Could it...?" Annabelle wondered.

"Don't be silly," Darla said. "Come on, let's go see Miss Miller. The Chipettes say that she made some cookies!"

"Cookies!" The girls squealed.

They soon went over to see the kind old lady as a fluffy white cat was shown at the door with her.

"Trick-or-Treat~" Darla, Amber, and Annabelle smiled to Miss Miller.

"Oh, hello, girls." Miss Miller smiled back.

"Happy Halloween, Miss Miller." Darla smiled.

"Oh, my, my, where does the time go?" Miss Miller smiled as she went to get them some cookies. "It's another Halloween already. I could've sworn it was just Easter yesterday."

"Time just seems to get away from most of us." Darla said.

Miss Miller gave them their cookies as the Halloween kite continued to fly.


	4. Chapter 4

"Does anyone have any airsickness bags?" Cherry groaned slightly.

"You're fine." Atticus replied.

"There's Pip!" Ralph pointed out.

"Where?" Robyn asked.

"There!" Tom S realized.

"Pip!" Jenny gasped.

Pip was seen going through the wind with his pumpkin in his arms, getting further away from them.

"Why isn't he stopping?" Cathleen asked.

"Because, he's going." Moundshroud replied.

"Where is he going?!" Cherry asked.

"You mean when is he going!" Moundshroud clarified. "About 4,000 years ago! His pumpkin has gone ahead... Or should I say past?"

"Wait, you mean he's going back in time?" Atticus asked.

"You could say that, yes." Moundshroud replied.

"Oh, boy, time travel, I haven't done that before." Cherry deadpanned.

"Uh, is it me or is the moon blinking?" Cathleen asked.

"It's not just you." Robyn said.

The moon seemed to flicker a thousand times and the landscape was somehow changed down below. 

"Egypt... But it's brand new!" Tom S gasped. "That means, we really have gone back in time. 4,000 years!"

"Uh-oh, guys; our kite is coming undone!" Patch muffled.

"Of course it is." Cherry grumbled.

They soon hit the sand and were dragged along through the dunes before the kite seemed to had been destroyed.

"Cherry, you can help us get by." Cathleen suggested.

"Huh?!" Cherry asked.

"You do know everything about Egypt." Cathleen told her.

"I--" Cherry said.

"She's right, Cherry, you do." Atticus replied.

"Well--" Cherry stammered.

"So you can help us get through Egypt!" Cathleen and Atticus announced.

Cherry groaned as she should have known this would come back to bite her. There appeared to be a celebration among the Ancient Egyptians which no one had ever seen before... Except for maybe Cherry.

"A-Are those real live ghosts?!" Wally shuddered.

"They prefer to be called spirits." Moundshroud informed.

"They're everywhere." Patch said.

"Are they trying to get into those houses?" Jenny asked.

"True." Moundshroud smirked.

"It looks like they're trick-or-treating." Robyn said.

"This is The Feast of the Ghosts." Cherry told them.

"So, that explains why there's food outside of the homes." Tom said.

"Yeah... Food..." Jerry smiled.

Tom and Jerry then looked to each other eagerly before running off to go and get some food.

"Tom! Jerry!" Robyn scolded.

Tom and Jerry pouted and whimpered with puppy dog-like eyes.

"Guys, that food is for the spirits." Robyn told them.

"Aww..." Tom and Jerry pouted.

"I'll give you both some treats later, I promise." Robyn told her pets.

"Hey, I think I found that Pip kid." Cathleen said as she saw a different ghost among the Ancient Egyptian spirits.

"Oh... Let's sneak up on him." Moundshroud told them.

"Yeah~..." Cathleen smirked to that as she stalked like a wolf from the forest.

Pip soon came to have some food as a mummy sat down, eating his own food.

'Almost there.' Cathleen thought to herself.

"Hey, Pip!" Robyn and the kids called out.

Pip looked to them and soon began to run from them inside of the hut in front of him. They soon came to the hut and pulled back the curtain to see an Egyptian family together.

"Uh, hi." Cathleen greeted.

"Enter, sit, you are welcome." The woman smiled.

"She said..." Cherry began with a small joking smirk.

The group soon came in.

Cherry just smirked before shrugging and following them. "Mut shakkrān." she soon said out of thanks.

Other people soon came in to give them some food while Cathleen was craving steak since it had been a while since she last had food and this food seemed to be unappealing to her.

"I think this might be hummus." Cherry guessed as she picked up the bowl.

"Is it good?" Robyn asked.

"Well, try some and find out," Cherry suggested. "You want some--" she then was about to ask someone who looked like he was rotting and decaying. "Who in the name of Osiris is that?!"

"That's our great-grandfather," The woman smiled. "Don't make a fuss!"

"Uh, why is out of his sarcophagus?" Cathleen asked.

"Oh, he's been dead for 67 years, but once a year during The Feast of the Ghosts, we invite him out to sit with us," The woman smiled as she poured drinks. "Eat."

"Don't you wish we had a custom like this back home?" Moundshroud asked the kids.

"I do." Cherry said as she enjoyed it.

"I wouldn't." Cathleen said.

Cherry glanced as that seemed odd for Cathleen to say considering what they been through in their own time, but she shrugged it off. Wally felt sick to his stomach as he got up and backed up from the jars, knocking them down and himself accidentally before Pip was shown to be hiding.

"Pip!" Robyn smiled.

Of course, seeing them, Pip began to try and get away from them again.

"STAY STILL!" Cathleen nearly growled.

Pip didn't listen to any of them and soon left the hut to get away with the pumpkin.

"Are you kidding me?!" Cathleen complained.

"Well, children, seems we won't have time for dessert." Moundshroud smirked.

The kids soon yelped and ran off from the corpse as it made them feel very uncomfortable.

"That was so disturbing." Tom shivered.

"It can't be worse than being swallowed by a whale or something." Cherry commented.

"That's right." Atticus nodded.

"You guys and your adventures." Cathleen commented.

They began to run after Pip so they wouldn't get left behind and Moundshroud seemed to disappear during their running which made everyone look around and wonder where he had run off to.

"Now where did he go?" Chip asked.

"I found him, Uncle Chip." Robyn said, pointing up.

Moundshroud was shown gliding in the sky with a laugh. "The time has come!"

"I guess we're gonna be traveling for a while." Cathleen commented.

"We sure are." Atticus nodded in agreement.

"You wanted an adventure with Atticus~" Cherry smirked to Cathleen. 

Cathleen let out a growl to that slightly.

"Well, adventures can involve a lot of traveling." Atticus said.

"We met Selene." Cherry reminded Cathleen.

"Do I even want to know?" Atticus asked about Selene.

"I'll tell you later." Cherry promised.

They soon ended up out of the streets and ended up in an ancient tomb with many, many hieroglyphics.

"Whoa." Patch said.

"This is invigorating..." Cherry said. "I always wanted an adventure like in those Mummy movies with Rick O'Connell."

"Remember that time in Egypt with Robyn and the Scooby gang?" Atticus reminded her.

Cherry merely gave him a death glare for killing the moment.

"Heh... You know it's true..." Atticus smiled sheepishly before seeing her gaze. "Don't kill me!"

"Hmph." Cherry gave a small pout. 

"You guys meet Scooby Doo too?!" Cathleen complained. "Come on, man!"

"And the Grimwood Girls, and those times in Monster High," Patch said. "Oh! And Ever After High."

"AAAAUGH!" Cathleen yelled out.

"Will you CALM DOWN?!" Cherry told her.

"Uh, guys, are those bandages for a mummy?" Robyn asked the others once she saw the bandages on the ground.

"Gauze, Philistine..." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Give her a break, she's only nine." Atticus defended.

"Uh, Pip didn't go in there, did he?" Ralph asked as he nervously looked up to a pillar with a face on it that seemed a bit frightening.

"I'm not sure." Patch said.

"Yes..." A deep, ominous voice replied.

"Oh, great." Ralph groaned.

"Who left this here though?" Robyn wondered, picking up the bandage off the floor.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Tom told his owner.

Robyn picked it up anyway, and she and Ralph included both seemed to be pulled away suddenly.

"I knew that would happen," Tom then groaned. "But no one listens to a cat!"

"Quick, we have to hurry or else we'll lose them!" Atticus told the group.

They soon began to run after Ralph and Robyn to go and help them.

"You want Scooby Doo? Here you go." Cherry smirked to Cathleen as they wandered through the corridors.

"This feels like one of those chase scenes." Patch said.

"This doesn't count." Cathleen pouted.

Eventually, Robyn and Ralph ended up in one room and came to a stop from the bandages and they ended up in a pile.

"You... With the mummy wrappings and the mummy face..." A voice addressed Ralph.

"W-Who? M-Me?" Ralph gulped.

The mummy soon held out a hand, showing a marking on the palm of his hand before showing the other with another marking. "Day is killed by night... Summer by winter... Osiris the Sun God destroyed by his brother, darkness!" he then spoke, mysteriously. "The seasons!"

"Is th-that what the Egyptians thought of Halloween?" Ralph asked.

"You tell me!" The mummy replied, removing the face mask, throwing it to the ground, showing a very familiar face of Moundshroud. "Why are you in that costume? Oh, you're a mummy, boy, because that is how folks dress up in for eternity! Surrounded in a cocoon of threads, they hope to come forth as butterflies in some way for the dear, loving Underworld. Do you know your cocoon, boy?! Touch the strangeness!"

"Th-Then everyday was Halloween." Ralph said.

"I wish that could be." Cherry whispered to herself serenely.

"Yes... Every day 'round... Very good!" Moundshroud replied.

"B-But what about Pipkin?" Ralph asked.

"It's too late," Moundshroud smirked. "They're wrapping up his gift to eternity now!"

"Wait, you mean they're turning him into a mummy?!" Robyn panicked.

"See for yourself!" Moundshroud smirked.

Ralph soon rushed off before falling into a chasm which led him down a path and he had rammed against a sarcophagus which had been prepared for the tradition that is mummification and Robyn soon decided to join him. Ralph and Robyn soon stood over the sarcophagus which had a baseball bat, a ball, and a slingshot.

"Pipkin?" Ralph wondered. 

"Guys, is that you?" A voice asked from inside the sarcophagus.

"Yeah, it's us, don't worry, we'll get you out of there." Robyn told him.

"I'm fading..." Pip's voice echoed.

"No! You can't leave now!" Ralph cried out. "What about all of our plans? You said someday, you'd teach me how to bat left handed, and you're the only friend, besides maybe Robyn, who's never made fun of me for wearing glasses."

"Learning how to bat left handed isn't so hard, Ralphie." Pip's voice echoed again.

Ralph soon tried to lift the sarcophagus and Robyn offered to help so they could work together. There were footsteps heard and someone seemed to be coming which made them both panic.

"We have to hide." Robyn whispered.

Ralph looked around before running with Robyn to hide away. People soon came for their mummification tradition and lifted up the sarcophagus together and walking off to carry on.

"I think you were cheating." Robyn smirked playfully to Ralph since he was in a mummy costume.

"Yeah, yeah." Robyn smirked in the same way back.

They shared a laugh before frowning.

"What are we gonna do now?" Ralph pouted.

Robyn began to start thinking up a plan and soon remembered what Ralph was dressed as and how they could use that to scare away the people that were mummifying Pip.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ralph asked, a little nervously.

"Don't worry, Ralph, I promise this won't hurt anyone." Robyn soothed with a small smile.

"Um, okay." Ralph said.

"I just hope it works." Robyn whispered.

The people continued to carry off the sarcophagus to carry on their tradition, coming to the room of where Moundshroud and the others had been, and where Robyn soon put her plan into action.

"I hope this works, Robyn." Ralph frowned.

"Don't be a worrywart." Robyn told him.

Ralph cleared his throat and soon moaned like he was an actual mummy as he wandered out which spooked the Egyptians as they set Pip's sarcophagus down on the floor.

'Wow, they really think he's a real mummy.' Atticus thought to himself.

The people panicked, dropping the sarcophagus upon seeing Ralph and it opened up to show the ghost boy.

"Come along, Pipkin, you've had your fun." Moundshroud called as Ralph scared off the people.

"Run! He's going to haunt you!" Robyn acted.

The people were way ahead of her on that.

"That was very good." Robyn smiled.

"Thanks, Robyn." Ralph smiled back.

"Pip, you okay?" Chip asked.

"I think so." Pip replied.

"Now, you and I have an appointment to keep," Moundshroud told Pip. "Now you must keep it!"

Pip's pumpkin appeared to glow for a bit before he suddenly turned flesh colored and seemed to be turning back to normal, at least for a little while.

"He's almost back to normal." Atticus said.

Then, something strange happened, and Pip was back as a ghost. Moundshroud tried to get the pumpkin, but the wind blew against them, nearly blinding them and Pip soon flew in the air with his pumpkin.

"What tomb has an air vent?" Cherry complained.

Atticus simply shrugged.

"Yes! Find him! Catch him!" Moundshroud grinned. 

They soon climbed through the air vent altogether.

"At least now with my work-outs and tonight's adventure, I'll be able to carry my baby niece." Tom commented.

"She can't be that big." Atticus said.

"You wanna bet?" Tom replied with a small scoff.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure she's not that--" Atticus began.

Tom gave a deadpan face before taking out a photograph of a female orange cat with a ponytail with glasses, a dark pink hat with a light pink shirt and skirt with him who was his long-lost sister being forced to carry a very large female brown kitten who was his niece.

"Oh, wow..." Atticus blinked.

"OMG, it's the kitten version of Baby Huey," Cherry commented dryly. "Sorry, Cat." 

They soon began to climb up the pyramid once out of the air vent to catch up with Pip before it would be too late.

"We're finally outside." Patch said.

They continued to climb up the pyramid while Moundshroud flew on his own due to his special powers. Pip soon glared before spinning the pumpkin and flew with it, away from the pyramid so that he could avoid them.

"Why is he avoiding us?!" Jerry asked.

"Well, I didn't do nothing." Cathleen huffed.

"PIP!" The kids cried out for their friend.

"How are we going to catch up to him?" Robyn asked.

Moundshroud soon tossed his cape.

"Hey, I remember this..." Chip smiled. "We once used the cape like a magic carpet to ride through time and space."

"Ride a cape?" Robyn asked her uncle in surprise.

"Pip can hide, but we can go seek!" Moundshroud chuckled to the kids.

"You know it." Atticus said.

Everyone soon grabbed onto the cape and they were taken for a ride.

"I feel like that's not gonna be it for time travel." Patch muffled.

Of course, Patch was right as they flew through a smoke cloud that looked like a human skull which engulfed them in the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh, my gosh, look down there!" Wally gasped.

"Is it Pip?" Robyn asked.

"It looks like a castle." Wally said to her.

"What time period are we in now?" Robyn asked.

"This must be The Dark Ages." Cherry guessed.

"Time to celebrate, children!" Moundshroud smirked as he flew with them. "Happy New Year!"

"What? But it's not New Year's Eve." Tom said.

"Well, maybe in our time it's All Hallow's Eve, but in this time, it's New Year's Eve," Moundshroud informed. "The true end of summer and cold start of winter! Happy New Year!"

They soon flew as there was a group of people as they shared a drink together and celebrated that evening.

"Whoa." Patch muffled.

They seemed to see a younger Drell with Patrick and Delilah.

"Okay, I think you've had enough." Patrick warned his friend.

"N-No way! I'm fine, really!" Drell chuckled as he sounded drunk.

"No, you're not." Patrick told him.

"Come on, we have to hurry back to the others." Delilah told them.

Drell snickered and hiccuped slightly.

"Shh!" Patrick told him. "Our parents are gonna hear us!"

"Okay." Drell still laughed before hiccuping again.

Patrick and Delilah simply rolled their eyes at Drell's behavior.

"Duuude, look at that, there's some flying people..." Drell pointed out.

Patrick and Delilah didn't believe him, thinking he was seeing things as they dragged him off.

"I can't see Pip down there!" Atticus told the others.

"Maybe he's still in the air." Cathleen said.

"There he is!" Cherry told the others.

Moundshroud soon went to take them down from the sky, rather quickly which surprised them as they came to the monument known as Stonehenge.

"Whoa." Atticus said.

Pip soon fell like a comet to the ground right in the middle of Stonehenge.

"What is this place?" Jenny asked as they came for a landing.

"It's Stonehenge." Atticus said.

"Where did it come from and why?" Tom wondered.

"No one really knows, Tom." Patch told the cat.

"It's old as time, children. Ancient times," Moundshroud replied as dark clouds came into the sky. "You'll need courage tonight. It's the Dark Ages, and this is the longest, darkest time of all time!"

"Oh, my..." Robyn gulped.

"I see your friend, but he's a shadow..." Cherry told the others, able to see in the dark. 

"I didn't know ghosts had shadows." Cathleen commented.

"I think she means that black cat." Patch said.

"I saw him though!" Cherry defended.

"Pip? Are you there?" Robyn called out.

"It is said that in the dark times, people that had died during the year returned into beasts," Moundshroud informed. "Became animals! Dogs, wild boars, but worst of all: cats!"

"Pip, just stay right where you are." Cathleen said.

A black cat's face was soon shown, yowling at them, a bit aggressively.

"Now that is bad luck!" Moundshroud told them. "Black as sin!"

"Pip?" Tom S asked.

The black cat soon jumped from one stone and hopped to the others while looking up at the full moon.

"Pip, is that you?" Robyn asked.

"I should get him," Jenny suggested as she climbed the stones. "Here, Pip~" 

Pip yowled at her before he soon jumped off away from her and the others.

"Pip! Stop! Why are you running away from us?!" Robyn called out before using her magic to maker her fly after him.

"Robyn's flying!" Wally gasped.

"That's another funny story." Patch said as he was one of the first to know about that.

"Pip, please, we're your friends!" Robyn reminded the running boy now turned into a cat.

"We're not going to hurt you!" Patch told the black cat.

"Come back!" Jenny cried out.

They soon came out of Stonehenge and it seemed like both Pip and Robyn were gone from the darkness outside.

"Tom, I think this is the last time I'm ever going trick-or-treating with you guys... Okay?" Wally replied.

"Why?" Robyn asked.

"I don't know if I can take much more of this." Wally shivered like a coward.

"Peek-a-boo~" Moundshroud smirked as he soon came out of the shadows. 

Robyn sighed to that as she kept looking for Pip as the adults seemed to be in a cornfield.

"What the--?" Patch asked, looking confused.

Everyone took a closer look as the adults were making homemade broomsticks. There was a hustle of broom works. An immense traffic jam held for brooks for witches to perch upon. It was as if all Earth's forests gave up their branches for one broom and fling, and scouring Autumn fields, cut clean and throttled tight. Such serial grains has made good sweepers, flashers, and beaters.

"Where are those children?" A witch woman asked, sounding a bit angered as she took a broomstick, blowing some dust off of it.

Patrick, Delilah, and Drell soon got through the corn field.

"There you are!" The witch woman glared at Drell, pinching his ear. "Where have you been, young man?!"

"Mom... I saw flying kids..." Drell told her before yelping in pain. "Ow! That's my ear!"

"Stop making up stories!" Maroot glared.

"Really, Mom! I saw them!" Drell cried out. "Patrick! Delilah! HELP!"

Patrick and Delilah simply whistled innocently.

"Guys!" Drell cried out. "Ow, Mom, you're tearing my ear off!"

Jenny and the others soon peeked out as they went off altogether at first. "Hey, do you know what that is?" she then smiled. "A Broom Festival, and they're making brooms! Not ordinary brooms!"

"Touch them... Feel them..." Moundshroud smiled to her.

"Go ahead, Jenny." Chip said.

"It's for witches!" Jenny smiled as she took a feel.

"For you!" Moundshroud told her.

"Me?" Jenny smiled before reaching out and touching a broomstick.

Soon enough, it came to life from the magic.

"Whoops!" Jenny yelped, taken aback by that.

The others then ducked down so that the broomstick couldn't hit them. Jenny was amazed to see an actual flying broomstick before she was soon taken for a ride since she was dressed up like a witch.

"Cool." Tom smiled.

"Hey, Tom, why don't you go for a ride too?" Jerry smirked. "I mean, you are a cat, and cats belong on a witch's broomstick."

"What?!" Tom yelped.

"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Jerry smirked.

"Why, you--" Tom glared, about to grab Jerry, but then yelped as Jenny flew by and soon took him for a ride with her against his will.

Both Tom and Jenny were panicking as they were in the air and Tom soon rearranged Jenny's cape so that she could see as she was sitting the wrong way on the broomstick.

"See? He's a natural." Jerry smirked.

"That was a mean trick, Jerry Mouse." Patch scolded.

"Aw, come on, it's funny." Jerry chuckled as he always seemed to love it whenever Tom was in a sticky situation.

The others looked concerned as Tom and Jenny flew through the air.

"I have to help them." Robyn frowned.

"We should join in the fun." Atticus said.

"Oh, boy, I've always wanted to fly on a broomstick like in The Worst Witch." Cherry commented, though it sounded sarcastic to those who knew her really well.

"Sir, can we join her?" Patch asked Moundshroud.

"Wait! Patch, that was--" Cherry began.

"You'd like to join her?" Moundshroud asked the others.

"I always thought witch culture was interesting..." Cathleen said before muttering. "Even if I'm part of a werewolf pack."

The strange man soon used his powers on some broomsticks and where they all went to the rest.

"Okay, Cherry, relax... If Sabrina or Mildred Hubble can do it, you can too..." Cherry told herself. "After all, your grandmother was a witch."

Robyn soon flew up to Jenny to try and help her through.

"Robyn, I don't know if I can do this," Jenny frowned. "I'm not a real witch."

"Jenny, calm down," Robyn smiled. "Riding a broomstick is like riding a bicycle."

"It is...?" Jenny asked.

"Not my favorite expression." Cherry mumbled in the background.

"Yeah, just calm down, and ride it like a bicycle, except without the pedaling." Robyn smiled at Jenny.

Jenny frowned to that at first.

"I know it sounds scary, but just pretend you're riding your bike down the street." Robyn advised.

Jenny seemed to take that advise well as she stood up straight and where she started to like flying like a witch.

"Just pretend you're on your bike." Robyn suggested.

"Okay... I'll try it..." Jenny said as she slowly tried to get the gist of it and it seemed to work so far. "I guess this isn't so bad!"

"See?" Robyn smiled.

"Wow... It's actually working!" Jenny smiled back. "Thanks, Robyn!"

"What're friends for?" Robyn beamed.

"How do I get myself into these messes?" Cherry asked herself as she carefully flew on the broomstick.

"Th-This is insane!" Tom gulped.

"Where's your spirit of adventure?" Moundshroud chuckled. "Witches have nothing to fear from their brooms!"

"Well, not all of us are witches, sir!" Patch pointed out.

"Just pretend you're riding a bike." Robyn told all of them since Jenny was handling it a lot better than earlier.

"Sounds easy enough." Cathleen said.

"Easy for you guys maybe..." Cherry muttered since she never really rode a bicycle as a child.

"Now... How about Follow the Leader?" Moundshroud chuckled before he flew further away from them as they followed him on their broomsticks.

They soon followed after before going through a barn which had chickens inside of it.

"Of course." Cherry muttered.

Jenny began to laugh as she was having a good time.

"Look!" Moundshroud pointed out to her. 

They saw the full moon with a forest down belong which had many witches and warlocks gathered together by a lit cauldron.

"Wow..." Atticus said.

"Really, Mom, I saw something!" Drell told his mother.

"Quiet!" Maroot scolded.

"Let's just hope the mortals don't find out where we live." Delilah said.

"You said it." Patrick added.

"Mom!" Drell whined like the child he was.

"I don't wanna hear it." Maroot told him.

Patrick and Delilah felt a little bad for their friend as the adults joined together for a ceremony.

"Grown-ups never listen anyway..." A brown-haired warlock boy said as he came with his younger sisters. 

"Hey, Edward." Delilah smiled.

"Hey, Delilah." Edward smiled back.

"Great night for a party." Delilah said.

"Yeah... Glad you guys can come out too, even if you're Wiccans." Edward replied.

"Well, we do have magic." Patrick said.

"Yeah, even if my mother doesn't trust any other magical creatures sometimes." Drell whispered slightly.

The adults continued their tradition as Jenny flew overhead with Moundshroud and Robyn before Jenny gasped as she suddenly flew downward, passing the trees, and ended up landing in the ground with Tom. Tom simply groaned as that was a rough landing. The others soon came down to join them on the ground.

"Tom, Jenny, are you guys okay?" Robyn asked.

"I think so..." Tom groaned as he tried to stand up.

"I'm okay." Jenny said.

Robyn soon hugged Tom as he latched onto her like a scaredy cat.

"When I was flying, I saw... I saw..." Jenny told her friends.

"Was it Pip?" Tom S asked.

"No, witches, everywhere!" Jenny replied.

"Really?" Atticus asked.

"Of course," Moundshroud grinned. "It can't be Halloween without witches."

"You mean they really were witches?" Jenny asked.

"Well, yes and no." Moundshroud replied.

"What do you mean?" Patch asked.

"Well, this is the Dark Ages, so a lot of things were very different then..." Moundshroud replied. "Many claimed they could do all the things you believe in, such as using voodoo dolls, having warts, or raising the dead, but that was just the means to protect their privacy. Ever wondered what the word 'witch' really means?" He then asked them.

"No," Jenny said. "Not until tonight."

They soon hid within the forest to take a look as the witches began a ritual around the cauldron, and where Atticus, Cherry, Patch and Robyn soon saw Drell, Patrick, and Delilah with the people that were doing the ritual.

"Wow, your dad looks just like you..." Cherry said to Atticus. 

"Aw, I just love seeing my dad bond with Aunt Delilah..." Atticus smiled before sighing. "Before she vanished."

"Yeah, but then we found her and my grandmother." Cherry reminded.

"I know, but it's still sad to imagine Thorn going through such a thing..." Atticus said, a little sad for his cousin.

"Your cousin is named Thorn?" Cathleen asked.

"Yeah, she's one of The Hex Girls." Atticus replied.

"You guys know The Hex Girls too?" Cathleen asked. "It's funny you mention them..."

"Why?" Atticus asked.

"Cath's cousin is Luna apparently." Cherry told Atticus.

"Whoa." Atticus said.

"So... What does witch mean anyway, Mr. Moundshroud?" Cherry asked.

"Wits, knack, information," Moundshroud informed. "In the Dark Ages, anyone who had a brain full of knowledge, had his 'wits' about him, yes?" He then smirked as he appeared on the crystal ball. "So, anyone too smart was called..."

"A witch!" The others then replied in realization.

"Exactly!" Moundshroud replied. "And the really smart ones, ones with wits, called it magic." He then concluded with an echo as a green flame appeared in the palm of his hand.

Another young witch and warlock came to the scene to stand with Patrick, Delilah, Drell, Edward, Hilda, and Zelda.

"Who are those two?" Patch asked.

"More young witches?" Tom and Jerry shrugged.

"Fair enough." Patch replied.

While the witches had their fun, there was a chant heard coming from the village, about to come into the forest to ruin their fun.

"Mother?!" Drell cried out.

"NOT NOW, DRELL!" Maroot hissed at her son.

"Sheesh, no wonder Drell's such a pain in the butt back home." Cherry commented.

"Guess we have his mother to thank for that." Atticus said.

"I'm still not gonna stop sassing him..." Cherry muttered.

"Oh, Cherry, you've had fun with Drell before, especially for what he's done for us." Atticus smiled.

"Oh, I dunno..." Cherry glared. "Drag us around the world... Make us help people we don't know... SEND US TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN?!"

"Okay, there have also been times when he's made us do things." Atticus said.

Cherry narrowed her eyes.

"But he saved us..." Atticus then reminded. "He brought us together. He looks out for us when we need it."

Patch nodded before he turned his head and smelled something. "Guys, I think I smell something burning." He then told the others.

"Uh-oh," Chip said. "That must be the angry mob."

"An angry mob?" Robyn frowned. "But why?"

"Things were very different back then, Robyn," Chip frowned back to her. "In these times of the Witch Trials, anyone who acted too differently would be accused of being a witch and would be punished by the town."

"Didn't we tell you to get rid of that thing?!" Young Hilda scolded her sister as she held her abacus.

"How was I supposed to know that it would bring bad luck?!" Young Zelda replied.

The mob soon began to light torches to burn the forest with the witches inside.

"Children, come right now!" A warlock told the younger ones so that they could leave without being burned alive.

"Coming, sir!" The younger magical beings called out.

"DRELL! HURRY UP!" Maroot called out.

"Yes, Mother!" Drell called back, feeling scared and not just of the angry mob.

The others watched this as it looked quite horrifying and heartbreaking to witness up close.

"We should get back to finding Pip." Chip suggested.

They soon flew off and went to go back to their adventure as the fire burned.

"In the end, all Europe was a cloud of witch's smoke," Moundshroud educated. "Anyone want to be a witch?"

"I think I suffer enough being in a werewolf pack, thank you very much." Cathleen muttered to herself.

"No, thank you." Cherry said.

"Not me! Not me!" Jenny exclaimed, shaking her head at first, but she then saw Pip high in the sky. "Wait... Pip?"

Pip looked back to them as he continued to fly off with his pumpkin.

"Wonderful, let's play tag." Moundshroud smirked before accelerating.

"We have to get him to stop." Atticus said.

"I could stop him if someone wasn't afraid of me going Lycan on some people." Cathleen said.

"Cath, I said no." Cherry told her werewolf friend.

Pip gasped once he saw a certain someone right in front of him.

"Now Pip, the pumpkin doesn't belong to you anymore!" Moundshroud grinned darkly as he grabbed a hold of the pumpkin, trying to take it away from the boy.

Chip knew what would happen if Moundshroud had the pumpkin so he used his magic on his former tutor.

"Uncle Chip...?" Robyn asked.

"Shh." Chip shushed her so it wouldn't ruin the moment.

"Hold on, Pip!" Jenny called out as Pip was able to keep a hold on his pumpkin while Moundshroud struggled.

Robyn understood why her uncle was going to use his magic against Moundshroud and kept quiet so then Pip wouldn't lose his pumpkin. Pip soon grabbed his pumpkin and nearly fell off his broomstick before falling through the air.

"Oh, no! Too far!" Chip gasped.

Jenny soon acted quickly and bravely by swooping down and grabbed Pip's hand to keep him from falling any further.

"Whew." Chip sighed.

"Wow, that was so brave and nice of Jenny." Patch smiled.

"Some switch, huh, Jenny?" Pip smiled up to the brown-haired girl before his hand began to slip.

"Don't fall, Pip!" Jenny told him. "What if I ever need you to talk me down out of an apple tree again, huh? Tighter, Pip! If I ever lost you--"

"Hey, no tears," Pip smiled up to her. "Wouldn't you just hate to have Tom see you cry?" 

"Hold on, Pip!" Patch spoke up.

"Pip, fun and games are over!" Moundshroud told the boy.

"No, they're not!" Pip replied as he soon dropped before flying. "Follow me if you can. Ready, set, go!" 

"You heard him!" Robyn told the others.

"Kid! What is your deal?!" Cherry cried out about Pip. "Where could he possibly be?"

"I'm still a witch, right?" Jenny smiled. "So I still have my wits. Follow me!"

"You heard her, let's go." Tom S told the others before they did as told. 

"Here we go again!" Tom gulped.

"I need a vacation." Cherry muttered to herself.

They soon flew after Pip and were sent into another world while looking around through the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

"Now where are we?" Atticus asked.

"A new home for Cherry, I think." Cathleen joked a little with the dark and gloominess.

"There... There, he is!" Jenny pointed out to the others.

They soon landed right behind Moundshroud and there was a building behind them which was under construction. 

"What the--?" Atticus asked.

"Is he here or what?" Cathleen asked, a bit bored already.

"He's here; I can feel it in my bones." Tom S replied before shivering slightly.

"Where is he, Mr. Moundshroud?" Wally asked.

"Where, you may ask, why, hiding out!" Moundshroud replied. 

"Yeah, but where is he hiding?" Atticus asked.

Moundshroud smirked as he began to look all around for Pip while they explored. The full moon soon shined down on them from behind the clouds, almost as bright as the sunshine on a brand new day.

"I have a riddle for you, Monster." Moundshroud smirked to Wally. 

Chip soon wondered what Wally's riddle would be.

"M-Me? Can't you ask someone else?" Wally asked. "I mean, that Atticus guy looks really smart."

"No, no, it's your turn now," Moundshroud smirked. "What's bigger and stronger than demons and witches? A place so big that it holds back the night and its nightmares? What's bigger than devils and ghosts?"

Chip knew the answer, but he knew Wally had to answer the riddle.

"Is it Superman?" Cherry asked Atticus.

"I don't think so." Atticus told her.

"Bigger... Bigger..." Wally said to himself before getting an answer. "A cathedral?"

"A cathedral! That's it!" Moundshroud replied before showing the building behind them. "A place where a running, renegade child can hide and take sanctuary… Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"

"Ohh." Cherry said.

"Sanctuary?" The kids repeated.

They soon heard the rolling of a bell.

"Help..." Pip's voice called from atop of the religious building. 

"How do we find him in there when it doesn't look finished?" Patch asked.

"I think we're getting warmer~" Moundshroud smirked.

They soon ran off to go after Pip someway, but they weren't sure how yet, but they noticed that Moundshroud seemed to avoid the shadows. 

"I think we're getting warmer~" Moundshroud smirked.

They soon ran off to go after Pip someway, but they weren't sure how yet, but they noticed that Moundshroud seemed to avoid the shadows.

"Something wrong?" Atticus asked Moundshroud.

"Come on, man!" Cathleen called out. "What is the hold-up?!"

"Yeah, you flew half the night to catch Pip!" Jenny added.

"So how come you're not going to get him now?" Ralph asked.

"Well, simply because that there are some places that I'm not as welcomed to as I am in others," Moundshroud replied. "So why not collect him for me?"

"He can't enter cathedrals." Chip told them.

"Do you know why?" Robyn asked.

"I think it might be because he's unholy." Cherry guessed.

"Exactly." Chip nodded.

"I'm awesome." Cherry smirked.

Atticus and Cathleen both rolled their eyes and shook their heads to that.

"So how do we finish the cathedral?" Patch asked.

"Hurry!" Pip's voice echoed.

"There are ways!" Moundshroud cried out. "After all, tonight of all nights is still--"

"Halloween!" Wally concluded for him. 

"Precisely, so why not finish building the cathedral... With your feet?" Moundshroud suggested.

"I don't know who's a worse mentor," Cherry glared. "You, Drell, or Princess Celestia."

"I think him and Drell are in a tie." Patch said.

'How are we supposed to use our feet?" Robyn asked.

"Call the stones with your feet!" Moundshroud told them. 

"Cherry, grab my shoulder, there isn't a hand rail." Atticus told his best friend as she usually had trouble with stairs that she hadn't gone up and down before.

The group began to make their way up.

"Just don't look down." Robyn told herself as they went up the stairs.

Tom tried to remain calm as they climbed up the stairs and Jerry felt scared too, so he decided not to mess with Tom this time.

"All we have to do is just keep walking, and I'm sure the bricks will start filling in the parts of the cathedral." Patch told the others.

"Sure... Why not...?" Cherry muttered while holding onto Atticus to keep her balance.

"Leap! Run! They will follow!" Moundshroud told them from the ground below.

"You hear that, Wally?" Patch asked.

"Y-Yeah..." Wally said as he took them to the end of the case and yelped a little as he saw a long way down.

"Step lively!" Moundshroud smirked.

Wally stepped forward at first, but then stepped back, finding himself unable to go any further.

"Forgive me for this, Wally." Robyn said before pushing Wally forward.

Wally yelped as he felt like he would fall, but bricks moved under his feet as he moved further along. He looked relieved to see this.

"Bravo!" Moundshroud applauded. 

Cherry still felt anxious about crossing without something to hold onto. Luckily, she had her best friend to help her along the way. Atticus saw Cherry struggling and soon got down for her.

"Oh, Atticus, I couldn't." Cherry said about riding on his back again.

"I insist." Atticus said.

"Well, okay." Cherry said before getting on his back so that he could carry her.

"Ow, that looks painful." Cathleen commented.

"What does?" Patch asked.

"How do you carry her like that?" Cathleen asked Atticus.

"I told you, Cath, Atticus is strong." Cherry told her werewolf friend.

"Yeah, like god strength strong." Atticus added.

Cathleen began to look jealous again because of their many adventures. "I'm never gonna have cool adventures like you guys... I should just go home!" she began to whine.

"You never know when your own adventure will come after this." Atticus said.

Cathleen pouted at first.

"Ah, suck it up, you'll be fine..." Cherry said before shaking her fist. "Come, Atticus. Mush! Mush!"

Atticus rolled his eyes to that before crossing with her on his back. As they kept going up and up, the cathedral began to be build.

"Man, these bricks shuffle like cards." Cherry commented.

"And we thought Wonderland was a puzzle." Atticus added.

"When did you two go to Wonderland?" Cathleen asked.

"That was the time with Ever After High." Cherry said. 

"That place sounds like a rip-off on Monster High." Cathleen commented.

"Kinda, only the students are the descendants of fairy tale characters." Atticus said.

"Rip-off." Cathleen said.

Atticus gave a small sigh to that.

"Next thing you know, the princes and princesses we know like your cousin will have their own school." Cherry told Atticus, referring to Ariel when she mentioned his cousin.

"Aw, come on, Cherry, like that would ever happen." Atticus smirked.

"You never know." Cherry said.

As they walked along, it seemed as though the cathedral was being built thanks to them.

"Atticus?" Cherry called.

"Yeah?" Atticus replied.

"You know how we went to Notre Dame?" Cherry asked.

"Yeah?" Atticus replied.

"I think we're back." Cherry told him.

"But why do I feel like it's going to be missing something?" Atticus replied.

"Relax, it's fine, it looks like the history books." Cathleen shrugged off.

"There, much better," Moundshroud smirked. "Much better!"

Lightning soon flashed and thunder rumbled as Tom and Jerry shivered slightly.

"Hmm... Something's missing." Patch said.

"But what?" Atticus agreed with his dog.

"They're right!" Wally realized. "Monster faces!"

"There's no gargoyles." Robyn said.

"Of course, you're right..." Moundshroud smirked as he soon came to the roof. "Every wonder why we like dressing up like beasts, monsters, and ornery critters? Because it reminds of the dark night and all those fears and nightmares."

In the sky, the clouds took on a ghoulish face. Shadows began to dance and move against the buildings and roads while lightning crackled and cackled chaotically. There was laughter, the rustling of the wind and the sense of monsters wandering about the city.

"Whoa." Patch said.

"Typical." Cherry commented, not all that phased.

"Go ahead, Monster; they're waiting for your summons!" Moundshroud told Wally.

"You heard him, Wally." Chip said.

Wally felt amazed before he soon whistled. Cathleen winced slightly as that whistle was kind of high-pitched to her. The monsters soon began to come towards the cathedral as they heard the summoning.

"Ooh." Patch smiled.

The shadows soon climbed the cathedral and soon froze in place, becoming gargoyles.

"Huh, this is different from what Salem taught me." Patch commented.

"It's Salem." Cherry deadpanned.

"Yeah...?" Patch said.

"No, I mean, it's Salem, how do you know it's true?" Cherry explained why she said that. 

"Because he's been more truthful lately." Patch said.

"What's the story he told you?" Cathleen asked.

"Notre Dame originally had cherubs until something went wrong and a flu spread, turning the cherubs into gargoyles, and that's how we got The Gargoyle Flu." Patch informed.

"Okay, I'm with Cherry, that sounds made up." Cathleen rolled her eyes. 

Patch soon brought out a magic history book that actually told the story.

"I'm not listening!" Cathleen tuned them out. 

"Now we just have to find Pip." Jerry said.

"I hope so, cuz this Halloween is turning into a drag." Cathleen said as she brought out her sword that came with her costume.

"Tom... Jenny... Ralph... Wally... Robyn..." Pip's voice called hauntingly.

"Where are you, Pip?" Tom S called out.

"Here..." Pip's voice replied. 

The group soon looked to where Pip was.

"Oh, my gosh!" Wally gasped at the sight as Pip seemed to had become a gargoyle himself.

"Wait here, Cherry." Atticus said before he and some of the others climbed down to go and get Pip. 

"Pip, how did you become a gargoyle?" Patch asked.

"I don't care... Just get me out of here... I'm scared!" Pip begged as it began to rain. 

"Okay, don't worry." Patch said.

They soon began to try and help out poor Pip.

"No cutting in line! Plenty for all! One at a time!" Moundshroud smirked from the skies.

"Come on, we can do it!" Robyn told her friends. 

"We'll have to make ourselves a group ladder." Patch said.

"Hold it, I'm the only live gargoyle here, right, Mr. Moundshroud?" Wally soon asked as he got an idea.

"Indeed." Moundshroud replied.

"So, it's up to me..." Wally replied before calling out. "Tom, left! Ralph, right! Together, now!"

The boys then helped Wally out so that he could reach out for Pip. Robyn knew Wally could do it. Tom S and Ralph grunted slightly as they tried to carry Wally, and it got a little worse as Ralph almost slipped from the wet floor.

"Whoa!" Wally gasped, fearing that he may fall, but luckily fell on the wall in front of him. "Oh, Pipkin! What's happened to you?"

"I think I'm dying..." Pip replied, nearly breathlessly. 

"Oh, dear..." Robyn frowned.

"No, you're not!" Wally told his friend.

"You tried, Wally..." Pip replied. "All of you did..."

"Shut up! Shut up, will you?" Wally said.

"Wally, that's a terrible thing to say." Robyn scolded.

"No, I don't mean it like that, I just don't want Pip to quit!" Wally told her. "Pip, don't quit. Escape! Run! We'll follow!"

"I gotta go now, Wally..." Pip said weakly. 

'Pip can't really wanna give up.' Robyn thought to herself.

"Wait! No, wait, will ya?" Wally frowned. "Remember that time those fireworks set up in my bedroom? The ones that started that fire!"

"It seriously smoked up your house." Pip replied.

"And you took the blame for me; I never thanked you for that." Wally frowned before yelping as he nearly fell, but luckily kept his balance.

"Wally, come on, two points~..." Moundshroud smirked. "Toss it right up here!" 

"No, don't!" Chip told Wally.

"I have to go now..." Pip said.

"No, Pip, I won't let you go!" Wally cried out as he held on.

However, he accidentally touched the pumpkin and it glowed out of Pip's hands and everything crackled slightly. 

"Pip, get the pumpkin!" Robyn told Pip once he was freed from being a gargoyle. 

"Go get it, Pip!" Chip added.

Wally soon fell from Tom S and Ralph onto a winged gargoyle which was then struck by lightning and it began to fly.

"I'm comin, Pip!" Wally called out.

"Maybe we should follow them." Cathleen suggested. 

"What are we waiting for then?" Patch asked.

Other gargoyles came to life and they soon went to catch a ride on them.

"It's just like riding a dragon." Atticus smiled.

"No way!" Cathleen replied. 

"Way." Patch said.

"Come on, we can't lose him now!" Wally called out.

"I'm getting too old for this job." Cherry muttered.

"There's no escape!" Moundshroud called out as he flew after them. "There are just shortcuts before making it to the graveyard!" 

"This better be the last stop!" Cherry told him.

"You're telling us!" Tom and Jerry agreed with her there.


	7. Chapter 7

Lightning flickered and flashed as they soon went to visit another land.

"Well, we've arrived, children, our final destination!" Moundshroud told them. 

"Finally!" Cathleen said.

"Where are we?" Cherry asked.

"Listen... Guitars!" Jenny told them.

"And those must be skeleton bones." Tom S guessed the sound. 

"Wait, I know where we are." Patch smiled.

"Of course..." Cherry said. "It all makes sense now. We're in..."

"Mexico!" Cherry, Atticus, and Patch realized together. 

"And which means this must be The Day of the Dead." Atticus smiled.

"I always wanted to celebrate the Day of the Dead, it looks so cool." Cherry pouted.

"Maybe we can talk to Maritza about it." Atticus suggested.

They soon began to land in Mexico as the people celebrated their Halloween-like tradition. 

"When do we land?" Cathleen asked.

"Should be soon," Atticus said. "I know how to fly dragons properly."

Pip soon flew over the cemetery which made lights lit up all around to celebrate the holiday. There were candles at the gravestones left behind from family members to their nearly departed relatives, as seen in the movie Coco.

"Look at all the graveyards!" Robyn commented.

"That is a lot." Patch said.

The people soon began to march through the graveyards.

"Where are all those people going?" Ralph asked.

"At Día de los Muertos." Moundshroud informed. 

"The Day of the Dead." Cherry added, translating from that Spanish to English. 

"Where else would they go?" Atticus asked.

"Back home, we'd never go to a graveyard on Halloween, but this looks like fun!" Tom S smiled at the fireworks.

The others agreed as Day of the Dead did look like a really fun tradition.

"Look it, little funerals for sale!" Ralph pointed out to puppets carrying a casket. 

"Sure looks cool." Cathleen said.

"Are those real coffins?" Wally asked.

"I'm sure they are." Cherry said.

A group of kids soon came to a woman who offered them skull and ghost cookies. As they flew around, a bunch of newspapers seemed to jump out at them. 

"Whoa!" The group yelped.

"Whoa, the newspapers are full of bones!" Jenny pointed out.

"Mexican Halloweens are sure better than ours," Tom S commented before checking his paper and gasped on the front. "Pipkin! He must be around here someplace." 

"We better start looking." Atticus said.

The loud noises began to startle the dragons.

"Whoa, guys, whoa!" Cathleen cried out.

They soon fell right into a pile of hay after the dragons shook them off.

"Oh, well, at least we had a soft landing." Tom muttered. 

"That's right." Jerry said.

Cathleen glared up at the dragons as they soon flew off to the graveyard and disappeared. "Well, that just happened..." she commented, not sure how to feel about that.

"Sweet Skulls! Sweet Skulls!" Moundshroud's voice called. "Crystal sugar candy Sweet Skulls!"

"Sounds like you guys get to try a Calavera." Cherry commented.

"Let's see if the sweet skulls have our names on them." Patch said.

"Oh... That's what that means... I had no idea what Cherry was talking about." Cathleen commented.

"Tell me your names, I'll give you a skull." The vendor told them, carrying the sugar skulls. 

"Atticus." Atticus replied.

"Tom!" Tom S added.

Two skulls were soon given to them both with their names on it. 

"How about Ralph?" Ralph smiled before he soon caught his as it was tossed to him. 

"Robyn?" Robyn smiled before the same thing happened.

Everyone else soon said their names and they seemed to be given their very own skulls. Even Tom, Jerry, and Patch were given their own candy skulls.

"All the dark holiday in your palms... Bite it, swallow it and survive," The vendor told them before revealing himself. "Come out from the black tunnel of Halloween, and feel oh-so glad you're alive!"

Everyone soon began to eat their sugar skulls once they were given them. 

"Oh, so delicious." Atticus smiled as he finished his.

Cherry soon began to giggle which made everyone look at her and she soon got louder and louder as she started to get hyper from all of the sugar. 

"Maybe Cherry shouldn't have had one." Patch said,

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Cherry glared in accusatory. 

"Your sugar rush." Patch said.

"I do not sugar rush!" Cherry glared.

"Normally, no, but these things must be loaded." Atticus said as he looked at his skull.

"You got that right." Patch said.

"Tuffy would have a field day with these." Jerry said, referring to his nephew. 

"Booties would probably bounce off the walls and literally bring the house down." Tom chuckled, referring to his niece.

"I think it's getting late... We should find Pip really soon." Robyn suggested.

"Yes, for All Hallow's Eve is slipping away." Moundshroud replied, looking at his pocket watch and used his magic to bring out a bunch of piñatas.

"Whoa." Patch yelped.

"This is crazy!" Cathleen cried out.

Moundshroud soon turned into a piñata himself and flew with the others that resembled the others in their costumes. A bunch of kids with blindfolds laughed and rushed over, trying to hit the piñatas.

"I don't think they should do that." Patch said.

"They're piñatas, what else are they gonna do?" Cathleen deadpanned to the Dalmatian.

"Then why do I see anything but candy in those pinatas?" Atticus asked.

"What does that mean?" Cathleen replied.

"They're alive... ALIIIIVE!" Cherry cried out dramatically.

Moundshroud's pinata was soon hit and a swarm of bats came out.

"BATS!" Cherry shrieked a bit.

"Exactly." Atticus nodded.

"How in the heck did you know?" Cathleen deadpanned.

"X-Ray vision." Atticus said.

Cathleen looked to Cherry.

"You have a lot to learn." Cherry told Cathleen.

"Hey! Get off!" Tom cried out as the bats tried to pick them all up out of the haystack.

"Where are these bats taking us?" Cathleen asked.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon." Robyn replied.

They soon ended up in the graveyard which wasn't much of a surprise. Once there, the bats soon dropped them on the ground.

"Whoa." The group smiled.

The bats soon swarmed together to create Moundshroud.

"You again?!" Cathleen glared. "I'm not sure I like you, sir!"

"Yeah, but that was fun!" Patch smiled.

"It sure was." Chip smiled back.

"Sure... Real fun..." Cathleen rolled her sky blue eyes.

"What happens next?" Wally beamed.

"No more time for games, children!" Moundshroud glared before chuckling wickedly. "The night ends here."

"It does?" Patch asked.

"Oh, yes..." Moundshroud replied.

"Is that a mausoleum?" Cherry's eyes widened before she shook a memory. "Oh, not that again."

"Again? You know what? Never mind, I don't even wanna know." Cathleen replied.

"Let's just say it involved singing bust heads." Atticus groaned.

Cathleen still complained about their many and many adventures.

"You mean, you want us down in that hole?" Robyn asked Moundshroud.

"Yes, down in the catacombs," Moundshroud replied. "He's waiting... Simon Says bring him up!"

"We're going in, but we're not giving you his pumpkin." Patch said.

"You'll see it my way, soon enough." Moundshroud glared.

"Uncle Chip, I know he taught you and Mom magic, but I don't trust that man." Robyn whispered to her wizard uncle.

"If only there was a way to trade Pip's pumpkin." Patch said.

"Hmm..." Chip paused as he began to think about it. "I'm sure there is. Within rules of magic or anything else, there's always a loophole."

"The rule bearer did say that rules are rules, but loopholes are loopholes." Cherry said as she remembered Sabrina's slumber party when a mortal girl ended up in the linen closet and was almost in severe trouble with the supernatural world.

The group began to walk down into the catacombs.

"And be extra careful with my pumpkin~" Moundshroud smirked wickedly.

"We're going down, but you're not getting that pumpkin." Cathleen glared bravely.

"That's right." Tom S added.

"Bravely spoken, Pip would've loved that," Moundshroud smirked as he held his pocket watch. "Hurry now, dawn is approaching!"

Tom S and Atticus walked ahead while the others followed.

"It's going to be okay, Tom, it's going to be fine." Robyn comforted him like she had done with the others, showing what a great friend she was to all of them.

They were now soon in a hall full of skeletons.

"I hear about skeletons in the closet, but this is ridiculous." Patch commented.

They soon came through a path of cobwebs. Cherry and Atticus looked to each other.

"Just get it over with..." Cherry told him, thinking he would blow the webs and spiders away.

Atticus soon did just that so then the cobwebs would be out of the way.

Cherry ducked down so that they wouldn't get stuck to her. "Heh... My luck is beginning to turn..." she then smirked as she stood back up and walked forward.

"Those are some strong lungs you have." Cathleen said to Atticus.

"What can I say? I have big strength." Atticus smiled.

"As big as his ego." Cherry smirked.

"Ha ha, very funny." Atticus smirked back playfully.

They soon came down the last step and found a glowing corridor not too far off from them.

"Do places usually display the dead like this?" Robyn asked, seeing corpses lined up like mummies in Ancient Egypt.

"Not in the places I know." Cherry admitted.

"One of us will have to go and get Pip and his pumpkin." Patch said.

"Okay, Cherry, thank you for volunteering." Cathleen smirked.

"Say what?!" Cherry asked, feeling like a scapegoat.

"Nope." Chip shook his head.

"Go get 'em, Cherry!" Cathleen said, pushing her friend forward slightly.

Cherry yelped as she nearly fell and looked back with a glare.

"It's okay, Cherry, you don't have to." Chip told her.

"Whew." Cherry said. 

"Besides, Tom still hasn't had his turn yet." Chip said.

"GAH!" Tom yelped and hid behind Robyn.

"Not you, Tom, the other Tom." Chip chuckled to his niece's cat.

"Ohh." Tom smiled out of relief.

Cherry glared at Cathleen who smiled sheepishly to her.

"Well, uh, I guess I could go for it." Tom S said a little nervously. He began to make his way to Pip before seeing the skeletons coming to life.

"It's okay, dude, walking skeletons are cool, I mean, I love The Nightmare Before Christmas." Cherry smirked calmly.

Pip appeared to be trapped where he was.

"Oh, my gosh!" Wally gasped at the skeletons.

"How is Tom going to get through those?" Patch asked.

"Maybe he'll think he's one of them and leave him alone?" Jerry suggested.

"Tell me... Why do you wear bones, Skeleton?" Moundshroud demanded to Tom S.

"Because of my name." Tom S said like it was obvious.

"Wrong." Chip told him.

"Ooh! Have you learned nothing tonight, boy?" Moundshroud added as he crossed his arms.

"Because... Maybe if we face death eyeball-to-eyeball, it loses its power over us? It can't scare us?" Tom S then tried again. 

Chip winked with a thumb's up.

"Excellent, Tom!" Moundshroud told the boy.

"So now, you know what you have to do." Chip told Tom S.

"So, I've gotta save Pip?" Tom S asked. "Alone?" 

"You can do it, Tom." Robyn told him in confidence.

"We know you can." Patch said.

Tom S let out a gulp and soon ran down the corridor to go and save Pip. The skeletons soon tried to grab them, but some of them fell and broke apart while Tom S blindly ran forward. 

"Come on, Tom, don't look left, don't look right, just go straight!" Robyn called out.

Patch smiled at what a great friend Robyn had become since the first time he had met her. Tom S was soon at the end of the hall of skeletons.

"Your parents' haunted houses could take a lesson from this." Atticus nudged Cherry.

"Hm." Cherry gave a small smirk to that.

Tom S knelt in front of his friend's ghost. "Oh, Pip, don't die... I'm sorry... So sorry." he told him out of grief.

"What do you mean, Tom? You came through." Pip replied.

"No... All of this tonight is my fault..." Tom S frowned. "I once wished for something to happen to you so I could be leader for a change, but I never thought of something like appendicitis."

Robyn frowned as that did sound selfish, but she also knew that Pip would let others take turns being leader.

"Don't be silly, Tom..." Pip smiled to his friend before holding out his hand. "I'll let ya lead any time."

Tom S smiled back and soon took his hand, but there seemed to be a cracking.

"Huh? What's happening?" Tom S asked before Pip seemed to turn into ash and into a pile. "Pip, NO!"

Chip glared at his former tutor as he knew that he would have Pip's pumpkin."This truly has been fun, hasn't it?" Moundshroud smirked, showing the pumpkin.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Cathleen suddenly swore from anger. 

"Cath... Children..." Cherry reminded her.

"I don't care!" Cathleen glared. "He double-crossed us!"

"Give us Pip's pumpkin! It doesn't belong to you, it belongs to Pip!" Robyn glared at Moundshroud.

"Sorry, it was never a contest," Moundshroud replied. "His rent was past due. It's simple and plain."

"That's not fair!" Ralph glared.

"You cheated!" Patch growled.

"You said if we came with you and solved the mysteries of Halloween, we could save Pipkin!" Tom S added.

"Children, it's business," Moundshroud smirked. "With his illness, his rent came due and there was no payment. He's mine now!"

Robyn glared before stepping forward. "Then take my life in his place." she soon told Moundshroud.

This made the others gasp.

"R-Robyn!" Jenny cried out.

"You?" Moundshroud glanced at the blonde girl. "You'd take his place?"

"That's right." Robyn nodded.

"Robyn, are you sure you want to do that?" Chip asked his young niece.

"Yes, Uncle Chip, I just want this to be a Happy Halloween, for Pip too." Robyn said.

"That's very kind of you, young lady." Moundshroud said.

"Thank you..." Robyn replied.

Tom and Jerry looked worried for Robyn.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Mr. Moundshroud." Robyn told the man.

"There's no turning back." Moundshroud told her.

"I understand." Robyn replied.

"Robyn! No!" Tom and Jerry cried out. They soon saw Tom S, Jenny, Ralph, and Wally include themselves.

"Just think, your precious years hanging on the thread of life..." Moundshroud told Robyn.

"I'm sure, I just don't want Pip to suffer on his favorite holiday." Robyn replied.

"Count me in." Tom S said as he stood next to her.

Robyn looked over, a bit surprised.

"Is he worth it, this friend of yours?" Moundshroud asked.

"More than you'll ever know." Tom S replied.

Patch saw the true loyalty in these five to their friend Pip.

"Five for one makes good business, doesn't it?" Tom S smiled.

"Yes... I like it!" Moundshroud replied before taking out a candy skull with Pip's name on it and crushed it in his hand to make five even pieces. "Chew and swallow... Swallow and chew!"

The five kids each took a piece to eat so that they could help their friend in need. Chip knew that instead of their pumpkins replacing Pip's, Moundshroud's own pumpkin would be placed where it was before.

"Did you know about this?" Cathleen asked the wizard.

"I remember it now..." Chip said. "This was always a tricky deal, but it's for the best for Pip. I'm just so proud of Robyn. She has her mother's spirit." 

"So, ready to give the pumpkin back to Pip?" Patch asked Moundshroud.

"In a moment." Moundshroud replied.

"You better." Patch hoped.

An angelic singing was heard as the room glowed and Pip soon began to come alive and run past them in super-speed almost, grabbing the pumpkin on the way out.

"Whoa... Speedy Gonzales." Cherry blinked. 

"Time for us to go back to our original time." Atticus said.

"But we saved him... Didn't we?" Tom S asked. "Will he live, Mr. Moundshroud?"

"Come with me then, one more game as this night is through, one more game of musical chairs!" Moundshroud replied as he soon began to spin about.

Luckily, this time, they were soon brought back right home where they belonged, and where the stairs were fixed. 

"That was totally wicked!" Cathleen beamed before looking to Cherry. "When's the next adventure?"

Cherry groaned to that.

"And that, children, is Halloween, all rolled up into one!" Moundshroud told them from his balcony. "Night and day. Summer and winter. Life and death. 4,000 years ago, 100 years on this year. One place or another, the celebrations are all the same!" 

"That's right." Chip nodded.

"Like Día de los Muertos." Tom S smiled.

"Day of the Dead!" Jenny added.

"The Feast of Ghosts!" Ralph smiled.

"All Hallow's Eve!" Wally smiled back.

"And best of all: Halloween!" Robyn smiled to them. 

"Come on, guys, we gotta go check and see if Pip's pumpkin is at his house." Patch said.

"Thank you all for a most amusing and profitable evening!" Moundshroud told them. "I admire what you've all done for your friend, and I will never forget."

"Neither will we." Robyn replied.

"Run! Save yourselves!" Moundshroud told them as the clock tolled. "The last land Trick-or-Treat!"

They soon ran off to go to Pip's house as quickly as they could, and where they didn't stop themselves from running all the way there.


	8. Chapter 8

"This is a bigger rush than Summerween!" Cherry gasped as they ran.

They soon made it to Pip's house and came to take a closer look and luckily, they in fact found the pumpkin.

"Look... It's the pumpkin.' Robyn said to her friends. 

"That means he's alive." Cathleen smiled.

This made Robyn and the others very happy because they managed to help Pip.

"Hi, guys." Pip said softly as he turned on the lights from his window. 

"Pip, you're alright." Robyn smiled.

"They took my appendix out, for a while, I thought I was a goner... Imagine that." Pip smiled back. 

Robyn and the others smiled quite tearfully as they were so happy to see that Pip was okay.

"Anyway, thanks for everything." Pip told them. 

"What do you mean? We didn't do anything." Robyn said.

"Not really anyway." Tom whispered with Jerry and Patch.

"Is that so?" Pip smiled to them. "Well, I had dreams about pyramids, Stonehenge, Paris, and Mexico. Like I said, thanks."

"You're welcome." Robyn smiled back.

"It's late, we should all go home." Chip suggested.

"Alright." Robyn agreed.

"Come on, Robyn, I'll take you home." Chip smiled.

"Thanks, Uncle Chip." Robyn smiled back.

Everyone soon went to get going home and when Cherry did, she saw she had a note in the toaster. 

"No, no, NO!" Cherry begged. 

"What's wrong?" Cathleen asked.

"Thanks to you, I gotta go to the other realm to fill out a request about you joining the team." Cherry glared.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Cathleen smiled. "I get more adventures."

Cherry groaned and face-palmed to that.

"Want me to go with you?" Atticus asked.

"Thanks, Atticus, but, I think I should try this on my own..." Cherry said, trying to sound brave. 

"Okay." Atticus said as he was about to leave.

Cherry took a deep breath and soon wandered into the closet and shut the door behind her. "Okay, Cherry... Just tell him what you want, don't look him in the eye, and leave... It'll be over soon..." she said as she soon came into the other realm to come into the Witch's Council meeting room. "Just don't get embarrassed.

"Hi, Cher Bear!" Michelle smiled as she stood by with snacks for the members. 

"Mom?! What are you doing here?!" Cherry panicked.

"I'm volunteering for a while," Michelle smiled. "Oh, Cherry, have a cookie, but don't eat it too fast, I don't want you to get a tummy ache~" 

"Thanks, Mom..." Cherry said nervously, taking a cookie. 

Michelle began to continue to pass out snacks and where Cherry soon rushed out to bring Atticus with her.

"What? Did he give you hiccups or something?" Atticus asked.

"My mom is here!" Cherry told him through her teeth.

Michelle sang almost like Snow White as she handed out snacks. Atticus was soon next to Cherry to help her. Michelle smiled as Drell soon came in with Skippy.

"So then I said--" Drell said before looking over. "Uh, we'll talk about this later."

Skippy nodded silently and obediently. 

'Here we go.' Atticus thought to himself.

"So, why are you here?" Drell asked Cherry.

"You know why I'm here." Cherry told him.

"Do I?" Drell replied.

Cherry tried very hard not to get angry with him as he seemed to be trolling her. "This is about Cathleen!" she then told him.

"Ohh.... Riiiight... That..." Drell smiled innocently. 

"Yes, that." Atticus said.

"So... You want her to go along with you on some adventures and even become a student in Magic School." Drell said.

"Yes..." Cherry said. "She's been begging me for the longest time. I know she's a werewolf, but please..."

"I don't think werewolves are supposed to practice magic..." Drell replied. "Atticus is a Wiccan and Cherry, your grandmother was a witch, so you're both allowed, but I'm not sure about her. And besides... She's a wolf..." he then said, a bit in denial about approving the request. "So... Your request will have to be denied." 

"Drell, please just let her join please; even without magic, she'll be a great addition to the team." Cherry begged.

"Aww... I love it when people beg..." Drell replied. "But... No."

"Why not?!" Cherry cried out.

"You shouldn't even be friends to begin with," Drell smirked a little uncaringly. "You're a vampire and she's a werewolf. You both hate each other." 

"But we're still friends!" Cherry told him, almost crying. "I'm as close to her as I am to Atticus!" 

Patrick soon cleared his throat as he had a rule book since he was a member of the council since he was The Wiccan King. Drell glanced over and swiped the book away from Patrick. Patrick nearly stumbled as that felt quite sudden, but luckily, he kept his balance.

"Drell, PLEASE!" Cherry begged. 

"Shush," Drell told her. "I'm reading." 

Patrick whistled innocently as he gestured to the 45th page.

"Shoo, fly..." Drell glanced at him.

Patrick grinned innocently.

"Let's see..." Drell said as he took a look, adjusting his glasses. "Ah... Lycans..." He soon saw that werewolves were allowed to take part in magic classes and in adventure teams. "Your friend is quite aggressive..." he said to Cherry.

"I know." Cherry admitted.

"And impatient..." Drell said.

"Yes..." Cherry said.

"And you got in a fight once..." Drell said.

"GET TO THE POINT!" Cherry yelled before looking nervous. "Sir...?"

"Well... I suppose she can join class and adventures..." Drell said before looking firm. "But she's YOUR responsibility!" 

"Yes, sir!" Cherry smiled.

Drell then closed the book and made Skippy carry it. Skippy yelped and fell to the floor in the background. Cherry soon hugged Drell out of joy.

"I swear, this is going to end horribly..." Drell grumbled. "I am not really fond of werewolves." 

"Come on, Drell, don't discriminate, werewolves aren't that bad." Atticus said.

"A werewolf tried to eat my face once!" Drell defended. "I dated one in school and her dad tried to EAT ME ALIVE!" 

"Okay, do not discriminate all werewolves." Atticus said.

Drell just rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Drell, I'll never ask you for anything again." Cherry beamed.

"I'll remember that." Drell smirked. 

Atticus and Cherry soon went to tell Cathleen.

"I'm not sure if I'm gonna like this though..." Drell muttered. "I need to relieved some stress. Where's Skippy?" 

Skippy went wide-eyed as he rushed away.

"Skippy...?!" Drell called before going after his oldest friend.

Patrick and Michelle both sighed to that, but smiled to each other as they got to make Cathleen happy.

"So, uh, Cherry, does this Cathleen friend of yours have a boyfriend yet or not?" Atticus asked. 

"Relax, she's not gonna drool over your muscles," Cherry said. "Besides, she likes a boy already. Uh, his name's Rex." 

"Whew." Atticus sighed.

They soon came back through the closet while Cathleen found some meat from Cherry's freezer and began to eat it with Patch. 

"Wow." Atticus said.

"Oh, hey, guys," Cathleen muffled. "How did it go?"

Cherry let out a small sigh. "Drell says you can join us."

"What? Oh, YES!" Cathleen soon cheered. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" 

"Yep." Atticus smiled.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Cathleen beamed. "So, what's our next adventure?"

Cherry and Atticus shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Cathleen complained.

"Uh, well, Cath, it depends on what Drell says..." Cherry told her. 

"Dang it." Cathleen groaned.

"Sorry, but it's the rules...." Cherry said.

"Ah, well, I can handle anything," Cathleen smirked. "After all, I am a Lycan, and my dad's the best pack leader there is." 

"We can tell." Patch said.

"I'm gonna be the best magic student too." Cathleen smirked.

Cherry and Atticus glanced to each other as Cathleen let her ego get the best of her.

"Look out, world, there's a new adventurer and her name is Cathleen Ross!" Cathleen grinned. 

"Okay, I think you're letting your ego kind of get to you." Atticus told Cathleen.

"I'm just so excited!" Cathleen beamed. "I wonder what my first adventure will be after this?"

Cherry and Atticus both sighed as they knew this would take some time and they all went to go to bed since it was a long night for all of them, especially for the kids.

Chip smiled as he carried Robyn, Tom, and Jerry back home as they nearly passed out from exhaustion and the excitement over their biggest Halloween adventure yet, and where he knew that Moundshroud's time here was way overdue. Robyn's father had fallen asleep after a while.

"I don't know if I'll tell him or not, but it can be between us." Chip smiled as he decided to put Robyn down for bed with Tom and Jerry, putting the cat in his own bed while Jerry would go into his hole. After Chip placed the three in bed, he soon left. He smiled to all of them as he soon left the house.

Drell checked his paperwork while Patrick and Michelle sat with him and he saw something that caught his attention due to Cherry's latest request and saw information on the Russo family. 

"Are they okay?" Patrick asked.

"It appears Alex is dating a werewolf..." Drell said as he looked at the form.

"That's interesting." Michelle said.

"So, you think Cathleen could help them out?" Patrick asked. "I know werewolves have a history with you, Drell, but you could use it to introduce Cathleen for an adventure and meet the Russo family?"

"I don't know." Drell said, sounding firm at first since he didn't like werewolves.

"Come on, it's only fair." Michelle said.

Drell hummed firmly.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on~" Patrick smirked to annoy him.

"I will turn you into a pancake!" Drell threatened.

"I'd like to see you try." Patrick smirked.

"Are you going to keep doing that if I refuse?" Drell asked.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on~" Patrick and Michelle did together this time.

"YOU TWO ARE MORE IMMATURE THAN YOUR CHILDREN!" Drell snapped. "FINE!"

"Wahoo!" Patrick and Michelle cheered.

"I'm getting too old for this job..." Drell grumbled to them as he rolled his eyes.

The End


End file.
